Computer Science and Engineering

Computer scientists at UC Riverside have identified troubling flaws in a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) agents designed to take over routine computer chores while users are away — sorting emails, organizing files, analyzing data, and handling other everyday digital tasks that might otherwise consume hours. The researchers found that the automated agents can become dangerously fixated on completing assignments without recognizing when their actions are harmful, contradictory, or simply irrational.

Dr. Qian Zhang, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California, Riverside, studies the software layers where those failures occur. His work recently earned a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, one of the agency’s highest honors for early-career faculty.

UC Riverside’s Information Technology Solutions (ITS) team is encouraging the campus community to prioritize data security by using a growing number of university-vetted artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, such Gemini and Notebook LM 

A collaborative team including CSE PhD student Ashley Pang, Associate Professor Paea LePendu, Professor Mariam Salloum, and Professor Neftali Watkinson, along with Northeastern University's Professor Carla Brodley, has received the Best Paper Award at the 2026 ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE TS). Their award-winning paper, "Creating a Second Pathway to Computing Majors," details the birth and evolution of UCR's CS 9 series. The team will be officially presented with the award this February in St. Louis.