Here is a comprehensive research framework and source list designed to systematically identify 2026 offline AI events in the USA, with a special focus on New York City.

This framework is built to address the primary challenge: many 2026 events, especially smaller ones (meetups, workshops), have not yet been announced. The strategy is therefore two-pronged:
1.  **Direct 2026 Discovery:** Identify major annual conferences that have already published their 2026 dates.
2.  **2025 Proxy Analysis:** Research recurring 2025 events (especially in NYC) to build a predictive list of likely 2026 events, organizers, and venues.

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### 1. Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

**Inclusion Criteria (Filters):**
* **Status:** Offline / In-person / Physical events only.
* **Domains:** Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Generative AI, Data Science, AI Technologies, and related sub-fields.
* **Date Range:** January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
* **Location:** United States. Events in New York City are the highest priority.

**Exclusion Criteria:**
* Events that are online-only, virtual, or hybrid-remote.
* Events outside the specified 2026 date range.
* Events located outside the USA.
* Events in non-relevant domains (e.g., general IT, marketing, finance) *unless* they have a specific, dedicated, and offline AI/ML track.

### 2. Targeted Event Types

* **Large-Scale:** Conferences, Summits, Expos, Symposiums.
* **Small-to-Medium Scale:** Workshops, Roundtables, Panel Discussions, Meetups, offline Hackathons.

### 3. Focused Search Queries & Operator Patterns

#### A. Direct 2026 Searches (Broad)
These queries aim to find events already announced for 2026.

* `"AI conference 2026" USA`
* `"machine learning conference 2026" New York`
* `"generative AI summit 2026" NYC`
* `"data science conference 2026" USA offline`
* `list of AI conferences 2026 North America in-person`
* `"computer vision conference 2026" USA`

#### B. 2025 Proxy Searches (To find likely 2026 recurring events)
This is critical for smaller, local events, especially in NYC.

* `"AI meetup" NYC 2025`
* `"data science workshop" New York 2025 offline`
* `"machine learning panel discussion" NYC 2025`
* `"generative AI roundtable" New York 2025`
* `annual AI hackathon NYC`

#### C. Source-Specific Search Operators
Use these to narrow searches to high-priority sources.

* `site:meetup.com "data science" "New York"`
* `site:eventbrite.com "AI workshop" NYC 2025 2026`
* `site:acm.org conference 2026 AI`
* `site:ieee.org conference 2026 "computer vision"`
* `site:aaai.org "AAAI 2026" location`
* `site:nyu.edu "AI conference" 2026`
* `site:columbia.edu "data science institute" events 2026`

### 4. Priority Source List

* **Official Event Websites:** Primary source for all data (once found).
* **Professional Associations:**
    * Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
    * IEEE Computer Society (IEEE)
    * Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
* **Reputable Conference Calendars:**
    * `AIconferences.com`
    * `Techmeme.com/events`
    * `KDnuggets.com` (for their conference lists)
    * `ConfCheck`
* **University & Lab Sites (NYC Focus):**
    * NYU (Center for Data Science, Courant Institute)
    * Columbia University (Data Science Institute, Engineering)
    * Cornell Tech
* **Event Platforms (NYC Focus):**
    * `Meetup.com` (for finding recurring groups like "NYC AI" or "Data Science NYC")
    * `Eventbrite.com`
* **Major Organizers & Media:**
    * O'Reilly Media
    * Corinium
    * VentureBeat (for Transform event)
    * NVIDIA, Google, AWS, Microsoft (for their flagship developer conferences)

### 5. Flagship Event Assessment & Verification Plan

Here is a list of major recurring events and the verification strategy for their 2026 status.

| Event Name | Typical US Location | 2026 Likelihood & Verification Strategy |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **NeurIPS** | Rotates (often US/Canada) | **High.** 2025 is Vancouver. Search `"NeurIPS 2026" location` for official announcements. |
| **ICML** | Rotates (often US) | **High.** 2025 is Hawaii. Search `"ICML 2026" location` for updates. |
| **CVPR** | Rotates (often US) | **High.** 2025 is Vancouver. Search `"CVPR 2026" location`. |
| **AAAI** | Rotates (North America) | **High.** 2025 is Philadelphia. Search `"AAAI 2026" location`. |
| **KDD (SIGKDD)** | Rotates (often US) | **High.** 2025 is Long Beach, CA. Search `"KDD 2026" location`. |
| **NVIDIA GTC** | San Jose, CA | **Very High.** Typically held in Spring. Search `"NVIDIA GTC 2026" dates`. |
| **AWS re:Invent** | Las Vegas, NV | **Very High.** Typically late Fall. Search for AI-specific tracks and dates. |
| **ODSC (East & West)** | Boston, MA (East) | **Very High.** Search `"ODSC East 2026"` for the Boston event. |
| **Data Council** | Rotates (often US) | **High.** Search `"Data Council 2026"` and check 2025 history for NYC-specific events. |
| **The AI Summit** | New York, NY | **Very High.** This is a flagship NYC event, typically in December. Search `"The AI Summit New York 2026"`. |
| **Ai4** | Las Vegas, NV | **High.** Large-scale event. Search `"Ai4 2026" dates`. |

### 6. Data Fields to Collect

For each confirmed or highly likely event, collect the following data points:
1.  **Event Name:** Official title.
2.  **Official URL:** Direct link to the event page (not a third-party calendar).
3.  **Event Dates:** Confirmed 2026 dates.
4.  **City:** City and state (e.g., "New York, NY").
5.  **Expected Participants:** Use 2026 numbers if available. If not, use 2025 or 2024 numbers and *note* it as a proxy (e.g., "5,000+ (based on 2025)").
6.  **Participation Format:** Free (e.g., free registration) or Paid (e.g., ticket price, tiers).
7.  **Event Format/Type:** (Conference, Summit, Workshop, Meetup, Roundtable, Panel, Hackathon).
8.  **Offline Evidence:** A brief note or quote confirming the in-person nature (e.g., "Venue address listed," "In-person passes available").