How UB aims to build on the AI boom

A front page article in The Buffalo News interviewed Venu Govindaraju in an article about how state and national leaders are tapping UB’s expertise for a variety of projects aimed at utilizing artificial intelligence for social good. The article notes Gov. Kathy Hochul has named UB as the site of Empire AI, a $400 million statewide consortium to support AI research and education. “Over the years, AI has become very tied to computing power, so the big advantage has been with the tech companies, while the universities – even large ones like UB – can’t match those kinds of resources,” said Govindaraju.  “But Empire AI changes the equation for developing AI research.” The article notes UB’s decades-long leadership in AI, and several university-led efforts, including its faculty hiring initiative, Advancing Top 25, as playing a role in boosting AI research at UB.