Expanding Access to AI for the Public Good

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced Empire AI campus partnerships between SUNY’s university centers, university colleges, technology colleges, and community colleges to advance artificial intelligence (AI) research and education for the public good. The partnerships will leverage the Empire AI supercomputer, housed at the State University of New York at Buffalo, to increase access to AI for research and professional development for SUNY students and faculty.

“Through Empire AI, New York is ensuring the power of AI is harnessed responsibly,” Governor Hochul said. “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.”

SUNY’s four university centers — the State University of New York at Albany, State University of New York at Binghamton, State University of New York at Buffalo, and State University of New York at Stony Brook — will partner with several of SUNY’s university colleges, technology colleges, and community colleges to provide research experiences, professional development, microcredential courses, and other opportunities for students and faculty to effectively and ethically use AI.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “Governor Hochul’s continued leadership has placed SUNY and New York State at the forefront of harnessing AI for the public good. 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. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and investment to advance AI in New York State.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “Thanks to the support of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY’s students and faculty will have more access to cutting-edge AI technology. We thank Governor Hochul for her continued efforts to further New York State’s, and SUNY’s leadership in AI for the Public Good.”

SUNY’s four university centers are partnering with campuses throughout the SUNY System to advance AI research and education. Projects and partnerships include:

• The State University of New York at Albany is partnering with SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech, and Hudson Valley Community College to increase institutional AI capacity across partner institutions by providing professional development for faculty and increasing experiential learning and research opportunities for faculty and students. Programs will include co-developing AI-infused microcredentials, courses, and material to enrich criteria and student experiences, as well as supporting interdisciplinary teams to collaborate on real-world challenges.
• The State University of New York at Binghamton is partnering with SUNY Cortland, SUNY Delhi, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, Broome Community College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College to launch the Advancing AI for the Public Good initiative that will include an online, free of charge AI Prep for Careers non-credit microcredential to introduce students to foundational AI principles, workforce applications, and ethical considerations.
• The State University of New York at Buffalo is partnering with 11 campuses — Alfred State College, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Buffalo State University, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Erie, Genesee Community College, Jamestown Community College, Monroe Community College, and SUNY Niagara — across Central and Western New York to launch AI in Action: Transforming Higher Education through AI. Twenty-five fellows will be selected from partner campuses to participate in workshops, which will focus on curricular development and include important overviews related to ethics, compliance, and accessibility.
• The State University of New York at Stony Brook is partnering with Farmingdale State College and Suffolk County Community College and launching AI Innovation and Diffusion, an 8-week research experience program for undergraduates that will recruit 40 students, 20 from each participating campus, from across all disciplines to receive a $5,000 stipend and spend eight weeks at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, receiving mentorship from doctoral students or postdoctoral scholars.

Empire AI is the Governor's nation-leading initiative to advance AI research for the public good, led by an independent consortium of members.

Empire AI is backed by more than $500 million in public and private funding, and is made up of 10 member universities and research institutions. In May 2025, Governor Hochul secured funding to expand access for SUNY researchers at the State University of New York at Albany, State University of New York at Binghamton, State University of New York at Buffalo, and State University of New York at Stony Brook, and support the addition of new members including the University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. They joined the seven founding members of Empire AI: SUNY, CUNY, Columbia University, Cornell University, NYU, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Flatiron Institute.

In her 2026 State of the State agenda, Governor Hochul proposed the launch of Empire AI Beta, which will accelerate Empire AI’s performance to 11 times its former scale, making it the world’s most advanced academic supercomputer. Governor Hochul also announced a record-breaking gift to the State University of New York at Binghamton to create the first independent university AI research center in the United States, the Center for AI Responsibility and Research at Binghamton University. The $30 million philanthropic gift, the largest academic gift in the university's history, is coupled with a $25 million research capital investment by SUNY.

Diversify the Artificial Intelligence Pipeline With AI Prep

To equalize access to AI careers, Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) will launch AI Prep: a workforce development initiative focused on the training and placement of disadvantaged college students into AI jobs. This free training will focus on applied problem solving and include mentorship support from leading technology companies, leading to internship opportunities at leading New York technology companies.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

About Empire AI

Empire AI is a bold partnership of New York’s leading public and private universities to establish a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center, housed at SUNY’s University at Buffalo. The consortium includes Columbia University, Cornell University, CUNY, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY, and the Flatiron Institute, as well as philanthropic backers including Tom Secunda and the Simons Foundation. Empire AI is pioneering safe, equitable, and accessible AI research and development that benefits every corner of New York.