Terry Benzel Elected IEEE Computer Society President-Elect, Puts AI Trust First

A platform built around trust and AI

Benzel works within the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Stevens School of Computing and AI. According to USC Viterbi, she has spent decades developing trust in computing systems and now plans to make trust a defining principle of the society, which represents the global community of computing professionals.

AI is at the center of her presidential platform, which the university describes as a force to manage openly rather than a threat to dismiss. Benzel uses AI tools herself and points to risks she sees up close: fabricated references, floods of AI-assisted research paper submissions, and reviews where it is unclear who, or what, did the work.

"The Computer Society should be the most trusted society in the world as a source for technology and understanding technology," she said. "That doesn't mean we resist AI. It means we're honest about how it's used, so our conferences and publications still mean something." Her emphasis is on clear, transparent policies so members understand when and how AI use is appropriate.

Groundwork as vice president

Benzel is the society's current vice president and has made ethics and integrity a focus this year. At the current president's request, she represents the Computer Society on the CRA CLEAR Task Force. The task force is meeting with groups across organizations to understand where AI is straining existing policies and practices. Its report is to provide a detailed taxonomy, a discussion of impact and a set of recommendations.

Her history with the society is long. She has served two terms on its Board of Governors and one as vice president for technical and conference activities. She has also led work on finances, publication integrity and nominations, including efforts that broadened participation in the nominating process. The society has given her its Golden Core Award and service awards.

Outside the society, she has led research teams of more than 70 people at USC and served as a division vice president at Network Associates, now McAfee. She also created DETER, an open testbed that has enabled more than 1,000 researchers worldwide to study cyberattacks safely.

Member value and a three-year cycle

Benzel's other priorities concern the society's 370,000 members, spread across nearly every country. She asked whether they are "receiving sufficient value as a member" and whether they perceive it that way. She wants closer links between regional chapters and technical groups, clearer paths for young professionals to lead, and more chances for members to connect. She also wants to retain students and early-career members who might drift away as careers change.

The Computer Society is part of IEEE. It publishes research, sets technical standards, and supports education and nearly 200 conferences a year. Its presidential leadership runs in a three-year cycle: the president-elect supports the president, the president leads the volunteer board the next year, and the past president advises the incoming leader. Benzel said this structure gives her time to listen before acting.

She also wants tighter ties among universities, companies and government. "The government funds much of the research we publish. Industry needs to know what we're discovering now, not years from now," she said.

What it means for the computing community

For researchers, authors and conference organizers, Benzel's election signals that clearer rules on AI use in publishing and peer review are a stated priority for the society's incoming leadership. The CRA CLEAR Task Force report, with its recommendations, is one of the places where those questions are being worked through. The source does not say what specific policies the society will adopt.