UAlbany selected for national A.I. research consortium

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The University at Albany announced that the school has been selected to contribute to the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute. The new national research consortium will work toward developing safe and trustworthy A.I. technology, emphasizing efforts with guardrails for advanced A.I. models.

The consortium, established by the Department of Commerce at the direction of President Biden, comprises a coalition of leaders from universities, government agencies, technology companies and non-profit organizations in the A.I. community. Researchers will explore the societal and technological complexities of A.I. and develop guidance for evaluating A.I. capabilities, focusing on potentially harmful capabilities.

“At UAlbany, we’re educating the next generation of artificial intelligence researchers and practitioners by infusing teaching about AI across all our academic and research programs," said Thenkurussi Kesavadas, UAlbany Vice President for Research and Economic Development. "This new consortium will play a critical role in harnessing the potential of these evolving technologies, while also prioritizing safety and privacy.”

UAlbany's new Institute for Artificial Intelligence serves as the campus' interdisciplinary A.I. research hub. The university announced last year it would add 27 new faculty members across 20 academic departments, all with A.I. expertise.