BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday unveiled a first-in-the-nation Empire AI Consortium at the University at Buffalo's Center for Computational Research.
The group will start research this fall.
The governor says its one of the first independent computing centers in the nation. It will gather data from research and help solve complex issues across the state, including cybersecurity threats, economic development, and even accelerating drug discovery.
Researchers say the project is aimed toward addressing major societal challenges for the public good, including climate change, health disparities, and food insecurity.
"Imagine what good can be done if you take this power and put it in academia, and attract the brightest people in the country to come to our state, to have access to this, to contemplate and imagine, innovate, and create solutions to society's problems that up until now have been unsolvable," Hochul said.
Hochul also announced an Empire AI board of directors, with members from SUNY, CUNY, NYU, and Cornell University.
"Being able to look for cures and experiment 1,000 times faster will get us results 1,000 times faster, so it is really exciting, and it is really great to be able to start a year and a half early," said Tom Secunda, co-founder of Bloomberg LP.
Dr. Robert J. Harrison from Stony Brook will serve as the interim executive director to lead the AI consortium through the research phase.
"New York is writing the next chapter of human history with our historic Empire AI initiative — putting innovation, research and technology at the forefront of our investments," Hochul added in a statement. "Empire AI is centered in the public interest, and this step brings us closer to using this technology to shape a better future for New Yorkers."