UB to launch new academic department focusing on AI and society

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo is planning to create a new academic department dedicated to education and research on harnessing the power of artificial intelligence for the betterment of society.

Called the Department of AI and Society, it was announced Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said UB will receive $5 million to launch the new department this fall. UB will use the funds to purchase high-performance computing for use by UB researchers and students, and to hire additional faculty with expertise in AI.

The department, which will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees, will serve as an interdisciplinary hub based jointly in UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences. It will focus on research, teaching and community outreach that examines AI and its societal impact.

Students will receive a deep foundational understanding of how AI works. The knowledge and skills they gain will enable them to become the next generation of leaders who responsibly apply AI for the public good in research, education, government, industry and other fields. This in turn will lead to social, economic and biomedical advancements that improve lives throughout the nation and world.

The department, which will build upon UB’s longstanding leadership in AI and its role as New York’s flagship university, will serve a university-wide role developing AI-focused degrees across an array of undergraduate programs and academic disciplines such as geography, health, public policy, communication, creativity and the arts, languages and more. The department will offer a core set of courses that can be integrated into a wide range of majors. 

Also, the new department will add to UB’s more than 200 faculty members researching AI, and it will complement existing academic departments and units, including UB’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, and Empire AI, the $400 million statewide consortium whose supercomputing center is located at UB.

UB is also planning an AI & Society Building, a new facility that will feature computer labs, offices, conference rooms and incubator space for startups.

“UB has a legacy of innovation in artificial intelligence that is stronger than ever. 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,” 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.

Lewis and Schulze are co-chairing an advisory committee of faculty members who are developing the new department. 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.

The committee’s work includes designing the department’s core curriculum and focus areas, both of which will leverage UB’s already robust offerings of AI-related courses that address everything from computer science and robotics to health, medicine and materials science.

UB’s Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Planning and Assessment has recommended the department for approval. The full Faculty Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the recommendation on April 15.