By Cory Nealon and Tom Dinki

Based jointly in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences, the new unit is collaborating on seven ‘AI+X’ bachelor’s degrees—the first of their kind in the country—that combine the rapidly evolving field of AI with the traditional disciplines of logic, language, communication, geography, policy analysis and economics. The university has also created two AI-focused minors: Artificial Intelligence, Crime and Society; and AI Ethics.

UB estimates that over 300 students will enroll in the degree programs by their fifth year. The university aims to form additional degrees that merge AI and other disciplines. The new department will soon offer its own degree programs as well.

The Department of AI and Society is supported by $5 million in state funding awarded by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. The funds will be used to purchase high-performance computing and to hire more faculty with expertise in AI. UB is also planning to construct an AI and society building, a new facility that will feature computer labs and space for community-oriented work in AI.

“As much as AI can benefit the arts, humanities and social sciences, AI desperately needs the arts, humanities and social sciences as well,” says Atri Rudra, the department’s inaugural chair and the Katherine Johnson Chair in Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. 

“We recognize that AI systems cannot benefit society without an AI workforce that understands society,” he says. “The vision of the department is to build AI systems where societal consideration is the main driver of the development of AI models and not an afterthought.”

The department will prepare students to apply AI tools to their respective disciplines, give them a deep understanding of AI’s historical context and societal implications, and provide them with a valuable skillset in a labor market where AI knowledge is increasingly desirable.