UB plans to start the Department of AI and Society by the fall and will use the state funding to purchase high-performance computing for use by university researchers and students, and to hire additional faculty with expertise in AI.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday that funding will go to eight SUNY campuses developing departments, centers and institutes of AI and Society to “engage diverse disciplines and communities, broaden AI development to prepare students for the future and advance the use of AI for the public good.”
It builds on UB’s efforts to establish itself as a top player in AI and cement its role as New York’s flagship university. The university has already created an Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and Empire AI, the $400 million statewide consortium with a supercomputing center located at UB.
UB's Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Planning and Assessment has recommended the department for approval, and the full Faculty Senate is scheduled to vote on it April 15.
“UB has a legacy of innovation in artificial intelligence that is stronger than ever,” said Kemper Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Robin Schulze, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, in a joint statement.
“Our new Department of AI and Society will enhance that legacy by providing students and faculty with resources to broaden the university’s scholarship to include the many ways in which AI can positively impact our region, nation and world,” they added.
UB CONTINUES PIONEERING AI APPLICATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD
While artificial intelligence (AI) only recently exploded into the mainstream, the University at Buffalo has led innovative work in AI focused on the public good for decades. Some of the latest AI advances in health care, education and security are currently in development at the flagship State University of New York (SUNY) institution.
The department will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees and a core set of courses that can be integrated into programs and academic disciplines such as geography, health, public policy, government, communication, creativity and the arts.
UB is also planning an AI & Society Building, a new facility that will feature computer labs, offices, conference rooms and incubator space for startups.
The new department will add to UB’s more than 200 faculty members researching AI, and it will complement existing academic departments and units, the university said.
Atri Rudra, the Katherine Johnson Chair in Artificial Intelligence and a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, will serve as the inaugural department chair.
“Investing in AI within the SUNY system is an investment in our students to expand their knowledge about what the future will bring,” Hochul said. “We are not just preparing students for AI — we’re shaping how AI serves society, ensuring it strengthens communities and our economy.”
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