The Imperative for Grand Challenges in Computing

2026-01-02

arXiv.org

AI Summary

This work proposes a novel theoretical framework for defining grand challenges specific to computing—a domain currently lacking unifying problems that simultaneously exert cross-disciplinary influence and catalyze societal transformation. By integrating strategic analysis, interdisciplinary collaboration models, and innovation ecosystem theory, the framework emphasizes three core attributes: scale, societal translatability, and alignment with global issues. It aims to position computing science as a central contributor to humanity’s most pressing challenges, thereby shaping a decadal action agenda that fosters scholarly consensus, international cooperation, and co-creation of societal value. Ultimately, this initiative seeks to elevate the field’s paradigmatic maturity and amplify its real-world impact through purpose-driven, large-scale research endeavors.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Humans and AI: Other Foundations of Human Computation & AI
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Computational Creativity

Application Category

• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Research challenges in human and human-AI computation
• Social Networks and Social Media: Computational social science
• Responsible Web: Algorithmic accountability and transparency on the web

Abstract

Computing is an indispensable component of nearly all technologies and is ubiquitous for vast segments of society. It is also essential to discoveries and innovations in most disciplines. However, while past grand challenges in science have involved computing as one of the tools to address the challenge, these challenges have not been principally about computing. Why has the computing community not yet produced challenges at the scale of grandeur that we see in disciplines such as physics, astronomy, or engineering? How might we go about identifying similarly grand challenges? What are the grand challenges of computing that transcend our discipline's traditional boundaries and have the potential to dramatically improve our understanding of the world and positively shape the future of our society? There is a significant benefit in us, as a field, taking a more intentional approach to"grand challenges."We are seeking challenge problems that are sufficiently compelling as to both ignite the imagination of computer scientists and draw researchers from other disciplines to computational challenges. This paper emphasizes the importance, now more than ever, of defining and pursuing grand challenges in computing as a field, and being intentional about translation and realizing its impacts on science and society. Building on lessons from prior grand challenges, the paper explores the nature of a grand challenge today emphasizing both scale and impact, and how the community may tackle such a grand challenge, given a rapidly changing innovation ecosystem in computing. The paper concludes with a call to action for our community to come together to define grand challenges in computing for the next decade and beyond.

Problem

• grand challenges
• computing
• interdisciplinary research
• scientific impact
• societal impact

Innovation

• Grand Challenges
• Computing
• Interdisciplinary
• Societal Impact
• Innovation Ecosystem