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USC Information Sciences Institute USC’s Information Sciences Institute, a unit of USC Viterbi, is a world leader in Computer Research

The Information Sciences Institute (ISI) is a world leader in research and development of advanced information processing, computer and communications technologies. A unit of the University of Southern California’s highly ranked Viterbi School of Engineering, ISI is one of the nation’s largest, most successful university-affiliated computer research institutes. The Institute attracts nearly $60 million annually for basic and applied research from federal agencies and the private sector. Our work ranges from theoretical basic research, such as core engineering and computer science discovery, to applied research and development, such as design and modeling of innovative prototypes and devices. The Institute employs about 350 engineers, research scientists, graduate students and staff. About half of our researchers hold Ph.D.s, and about 40 serve as USC faculty. ISI's Michael Keston Executive Director and Research Professor, Prem Natarajan, most recently was an executive vice president and principal scientist at Raytheon BBN Technologies. ISI is based in Marina del Rey, California, and maintains a presence in Arlington, Virginia.

In July, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and the Stanford Institute for Human...
08/11/2025

In July, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) came together to spotlight the 2025 AI Index Report. Held at ISI’s Marina del Rey headquarters, the event drew a packed crowd of tech enthusiasts filling every seat in the house.

A panel brought together leading voices from across the AI ecosystem, including Raymond Perrault from SRI International, Yolanda Gil from ISI, Karl Jacob from LoanSnap and ISI, and Karina Montilla Edmonds from SAP. The discussion was expertly moderated by Vanessa Parli from Stanford HAI.

Together, they unpacked the AI Index report’s key findings and broader implications, discussing the state of AI models, diverging global approaches to AI policy, and what the future might hold for increasingly autonomous systems.

A team of researchers led by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, supported by USC Viter...
08/06/2025

A team of researchers led by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, supported by USC Viterbi’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI), has revealed a striking language bias in Google’s Perspective API, a machine learning tool widely used to assess the toxicity of social media messages. The study, presented at the 2025 International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM), found that the tool consistently rates German-language texts as significantly more toxic than identical content in English, raising concerns for both academic research and real-world content moderation.

Read the story at the link in our bio.


Wrapped up yesterday’s AI Index panel with rooftop views and great company!Thanks to everyone who joined us for some wel...
07/18/2025

Wrapped up yesterday’s AI Index panel with rooftop views and great company!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for some well-earned sunshine, refreshments, and conversations after a packed afternoon discussing the most critical trends in AI.

Read Stanford HAI’s 2025 AI Index Report at the link in our bio.

Packed room for today’s AI Index event! Co-hosted by Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)...
07/18/2025

Packed room for today’s AI Index event! Co-hosted by Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) and USC Information Sciences Institute.

We had a fascinating panel featuring Raymond Perrault of SRI International, Yolanda Gil of ISI, Karina Montilla Edmonds of SAP, Karl Jacob of LoanSnap and ISI, and moderator Vanessa Parli of Stanford HAI. Together, they explored critical trends from the AI Index—from foundation models and the AI workforce to global AI adoption strategies.

📍Thanks to everyone who joined us at ISI!
🔗 Read the AI Index at our link in bio

📢 You are invited: AI Index on July 17 at in Los AngelesPANEL AND NETWORKING EVENTHosted by Stanford and ISI📅 REGISTER ...
06/23/2025

📢 You are invited: AI Index on July 17 at in Los Angeles
PANEL AND NETWORKING EVENT

Hosted by Stanford and ISI

📅 REGISTER NOW in our bio

The AI Index, led by a diverse team of some of the world’s AI thought leaders, is a comprehensive initiative that tracks data over the years to cover AI trends in technical performance, the economy, policy, ethics, and public opinion.

The event will feature a keynote presentation by Vanessa Parli from Stanford University. highlighting key findings from the 2025 AI Index report, a panel discussion exploring the evolving AI landscape, and a networking social event overlooking the sunset in Marina del Rey. Panelists will include Ray Perrault from SRI International (and co-chair of the AI Index), Karl Jacob from LoanSnap and ISI, and Yolanda Gil from ISI (and co-chair of the AI Index).

This special event is co-hosted by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and Jamie Halper (HAI Advisory Council Member).

The AI Index has informed some of the world’s leading policymakers, researchers, and CEOs — come hear the insights that are shaping the global conversation.

06/15/2025

ISI researchers tested large language models on sensitive legal scenarios and found surprising vulnerabilities.

An international team of astronomers, using a neural network trained on millions of synthetic black hole simulations and...
06/13/2025

An international team of astronomers, using a neural network trained on millions of synthetic black hole simulations and data from the Event Horizon Telescope, has uncovered new insights—including that the Milky Way’s central black hole is spinning near its maximum speed—thanks to advanced computational support from ISI.

Read the story at the link in our bio.


Building the future of cybersecurity starts with a great team and involves good planning.Every year, the SPHERE Research...
06/06/2025

Building the future of cybersecurity starts with a great team and involves good planning.

Every year, the SPHERE Research Infrastructure team at USC ISI gathers in person to align on strategy, share ideas, and envision what’s next. Here they are in front of the new SPHERE testbed—where it all happens.

SPHERE (Security and Privacy Heterogeneous Environment for Reproducible Experimentation) is NSF-funded infrastructure designed to support at-scale, realistic, and reproducible cybersecurity and privacy research across a wide range of hardware.

We’re about half way through a four-year effort to build out this important infrastructure to transform the way cybersecurity and privacy experimentation can be conducted.

It was a pleasure to host leadership, including Rajat Taneja, Anderson Nascimento, Sunpreet Singh Arora, Kim Wagner, an...
06/04/2025

It was a pleasure to host leadership, including Rajat Taneja, Anderson Nascimento, Sunpreet Singh Arora, Kim Wagner, and Peter Rindal, at USC ISI’s Quantum Computing Center (QCC), where we house our D-Wave Advantage quantum computer.

Thank you to the Visa team for engaging deeply with our quantum computing research and sparking thoughtful conversations about quantum’s future in finance, cryptography, and beyond. The excitement is mutual!

Great first day at the FaceBase 2025 Community Forum, hosted at USC’s Information Sciences Institute!We heard from The N...
06/04/2025

Great first day at the FaceBase 2025 Community Forum, hosted at USC’s Information Sciences Institute!

We heard from The National Institutes of Health leadership, including Debara Tucci (NIDCD), a keynote from Helen Berman (USC/PDB co-founder) on the importance of high-quality for reuse and learning, and the 4 Roadmap including Q&A w/ ISI’s Carl Kesselman and Rob Schuler.

The afternoon sessions focused on integrating clinical tools and into pain research, featuring work from and UCSF, and poster presentations.

Grateful to everyone who joined us in person and online, and excited for Day Two!

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4676 Admiralty Way
Marina Del Rey, CA
90292

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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