New York Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing a $400 million investment to make New York a leader in ... [+]
New York Governor Kathy Hochul wants to make New York the nation’s leader in artificial intelligence research and development. As part of her State of the State address on Tuesday, Hochul proposed the creation of Empire AI – a consortium of the state’s research universities and other institutions that would form an artificial intelligence computing center in upstate New York.
Empire AI would include seven founding 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), and the Simons Foundation.
The plan would be funded with more than $400 million in public and private investments, including as much as $275 million from the state of New York and more than $125 million from the founding institutions and other private partners including the Simons Foundation and Tom Secunda. co-founder of Bloomberg LP and the Secunda Family Foundation.
According to a press release from the governor’s office, “by increasing collaboration between New York State’s world-class research institutions, Empire AI will allow for efficiencies of scale not able to be achieved by any single university, empower and attract top notch faculty and expand educational opportunity, and give rise to a wave of responsible innovation that will significantly strengthen our state’s economy and our national security.”
“Since the days of the Erie Canal, New York has always led the nation on technology and innovation,” Hochul said in the announcement. “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.”
Hochul wants Empire AI to counter the current concentration of AI resources “in the hands of large technology companies, who maintain outsized control of the AI development ecosystem.” The intent is for Empire AI to develop applications and technology that’s focused on the public interest of New York.
Hochul also directed the Office of Information Technology Services to issue an AI Policy that “establishes the principles and parameters by which state agencies can evaluate and adopt AI systems to better serve New Yorkers...” That policy would “also ensure agencies remain vigilant about evaluating any risks of using AI systems and protecting against unwanted outcomes.”
University leaders voiced strong support for the consortium, which still will need legislative approval for its state funding.
“The vision for Empire AI is to provide the academic research community in New York with a state-of-the-art computational facility that supports cutting-edge research. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her bold vision to ensure that academic institutions in New York State can remain competitive and forward-looking as this fast-moving technology continues to transform our lives. Columbia is thrilled to be part of this initiative,” said Columbia President Minouche Shafik in a news release.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said the Empire AI initiative would” put crucial resources in the hands of SUNY’s extraordinary researchers and educators. These cutting-edge scientific tools will be utilized to both spur innovation, and establish best practices for the ethical use of AI’s transformative power. SUNY is proud to lead the charge in this emerging field, and to be part of Governor Hochul's nation-leading consortium.”
At the University at Buffalo, which is under consideration as a potential site for housing the new center, President Satish K. Tripathi Hochul praised Hochul for proposing the idea.
“UB has been known nationally and internationally as a leader in AI and data science for over four decades. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her vision to ensure that New York State will be recognized as the center of AI research and innovation today and for decades to come,” Tripathi said, in a news release from the school.
