# Position: The Current AI Conference Model is Unsustainable! Diagnosing the Crisis of Centralized AI Conference

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.04586 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.04586/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 35 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 6 Aug 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Direct Preference Optimization: Your Language Model is Secretly a Reward Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.18290/) (2023)
- [Mamba: Linear-Time Sequence Modeling with Selective State Spaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.00752/) (2023)
- [Measuring AI Ability to Complete Long Software Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.14499/) (2025)
- [Position: The AI Conference Peer Review Crisis Demands Author Feedback and Reviewer Rewards](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.04966/) (2025)
- [An Open Review of OpenReview: A Critical Analysis of the Machine Learning Conference Review Process](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.05137/) (2020)
- [Is there a half-life for the success rates of AI agents?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.05115/) (2025)
- [Human-AI Collaboration or Academic Misconduct? Measuring AI Use in Student Writing Through Stylometric Evidence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.08828/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Insights from the ICLR Peer Review and Rebuttal Process](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.15462/) (2025)
- [Diversity Collapse in Multi-Agent LLM Systems: Structural Coupling and Collective Failure in Open-Ended Idea Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.18005/) (2026)
- [On the limits and opportunities of AI reviewers: Reviewing the reviews of Nature-family papers with 45 expert scientists](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.20668/) (2026)
- [APRES: An Agentic Paper Revision and Evaluation System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.03142/) (2026)
- [Position: Academic Conferences are Potentially Facing Denominator Gaming Caused by Fully Automated Scientific Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.09915/) (2026)
- [Machine Learning Research Has Outpaced Its Communication Norms and NeurIPS Should Act](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.08889/) (2026)
- [AiraXiv: An AI-Driven Open-Access Platform for Human and AI Scientists](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.21481/) (2026)
- [Beyond Imitation: A Framework and Benchmark for LLM-Assisted Peer Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.11087/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) conferences are essential for advancing research, sharing knowledge, and fostering academic community. However, their rapid expansion has rendered the centralized conference model increasingly unsustainable. This paper offers a data-driven diagnosis of a structural crisis that threatens the foundational goals of scientific dissemination, equity, and community well-being. We identify four key areas of strain: (1) scientifically, with per-author publication rates more than doubling over the past decade to over 4.5 papers annually; (2) environmentally, with the carbon footprint of a single conference exceeding the daily emissions of its host city; (3) psychologically, with 71% of online community discourse reflecting negative sentiment and 35% referencing mental health concerns; and (4) logistically, with attendance at top conferences such as NeurIPS 2024 beginning to outpace venue capacity. These pressures point to a system that is misaligned with its core mission. In response, we propose the Community-Federated Conference (CFC) model, which separates peer review, presentation, and networking into globally coordinated but locally organized components, offering a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient path forward for AI research.