6 New York Colleges to Lead New AI Consortium
Credit: Image Credit: John Lamparski / Getty Images News- Large tech companies dominate the AI development ecosystem, leaving research, public interest organizations, and small companies behind, according to a press release.
- The University of Buffalo is also under consideration for Empire AI.
- Last year, New York announced a sustainable climate campus hosted by Stony Brook University on Governors Island to advance climate solutions.
New York state is investing more than $400 million to put its colleges and universities at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) research and development.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 8 announced the creation of the Empire AI consortium, which will bring together six colleges and universities to promote responsible research and development, create jobs, and create opportunities for the public good.
“Since the days of the Erie Canal, New York has always led the nation on technology and innovation,” Hochul said.
“The Empire AI consortium will be transformative: Bringing jobs and opportunity to New York and making us a global leader in this groundbreaking sector. Together with our partners in academia and the private sector, we’ll harness the power of artificial intelligence and ensure this technology is being used for the public interest.”
The consortium brings together these six New York institutions:
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- New York University
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- The State University of New York (SUNY)
- The City University of New York (CUNY)
The state is granting up to $275 million to Empire AI, while the founding institutions and private partners, including the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences, and Tom Secunda, co-founder of Bloomberg LP, are donating over $125 million.
Cross-collaboration among the consortium will be more efficient and empower and bring in faculty, expand educational opportunities, and strengthen the state economy, New York state leaders said.
“I am excited to see the development of this shared computing facility, which will fast-track cutting-edge research and responsible AI tools to the benefit of all New Yorkers,” Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack said.
“As artificial intelligence promises to transform our economy, accelerate medical breakthroughs, and offer unprecedented tools for research, it is imperative that academic research institutions like Cornell partner to optimize AI technology in service of the public good.”
Surveys show most employers plan on using AI in the workplace within five years, and demand for employees with AI skills is high, BestColleges previously reported. An overwhelming 93% of employers said that they expect to use generative AI in the workplace in five years, with 45% indicating they expect to be using it significantly across a wide variety of work functions.