Gov. Kathy Hochul announces AI partnership for state's universities

ALBANY — Students at Farmingdale State College and Suffolk County Community College will have the opportunity to access the Empire AI supercomputer through Stony Brook University for research and professional development, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday.

The move is part of a statewide effort to promote the use of artificial intelligence for the "public good," through a consortium of public and private universities known as Empire AI. The consortium, which includes the State University system, is focused on establishing an artificial intelligence computing center housed at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Hochul Friday announced expanded Empire AI campus partnerships between SUNY’s four university centers — SUNY at Albany, SUNY at Binghamton, SUNY at Buffalo and SUNY at Stony Brook — and other campuses. The university centers will provide research experiences, professional development and access to microcredentials, with a focus on how to "effectively and ethically" use artificial intelligence, known as AI, according to a news release.

"Through Empire AI, New York is ensuring the power of AI is harnessed responsibly," Hochul said in the release. "By bringing together SUNY institutions through these campus partnerships, we are furthering the use of AI for the public good and shaping a brighter future for all New Yorkers."

Stony Brook University will partner with Farmingdale State and Suffolk County Community College to launch an eight-week research program called "AI Innovation and Diffusion."

Forty students, 20 from each campus, will be selected to participate and will receive a $5,000 stipend to stay at Stony Brook and receive mentorship from doctoral students and post doctoral scholars, according to the release.

"SUNY is proud to leverage the largest statewide comprehensive system of public higher education in the country to ensure that more students are able to drive research and move innovation forward," SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said in the release.