NeurIPS 2026 AC-Pilot, how much would you trust this? [D]
AC-Pilot lets you pick which concerns to address, but unlisted ones may hurt your score.
A Reddit user questions how AC-Pilot works for NeurIPS 2026, noting guidelines that say authors don't need to worry about concerns not listed by the AC and that addressing listed concerns offers a real opportunity for acceptance. However, the user doubts this: if a reviewer's questions aren't on the list, that reviewer may be less inclined to change their score, even if all listed concerns are addressed. The user also points out that despite emphasis on concerns rather than raw scores, raw scores still matter—so authors likely must answer all questions.
- AC-Pilot lets area chairs select which reviewer concerns authors must address, promising that raw scores matter less after fixes.
- Reviewers may refuse to update their scores if their specific questions are omitted from the AC's list.
- The system risks penalizing papers with issues that the AC deems secondary, creating a conflict between efficiency and fairness.
Why It Matters
NeurIPS is a top AI conference; changes to its review process could shape how thousands of papers are evaluated and accepted.