New York Expands AI Access Across SUNY Campuses

Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled a comprehensive plan to broaden artificial intelligence (AI) education and research across the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

 

This initiative, part of the state's Empire AI program, seeks to make advanced AI tools and training accessible to students and faculty throughout New York.

 

Central to this effort is the collaboration between SUNY's four university centers—Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook—and various colleges and community colleges statewide.

 

These partnerships aim to provide hands-on research opportunities, workshops, microcredential courses, and ethics-focused AI training.

 

The goal is to ensure that AI innovation benefits the public good and is not confined to a select few institutions.

 

A key component of this expansion is the utilization of the Empire AI supercomputer, housed at the University at Buffalo.

 

This resource will enable SUNY institutions of all sizes to share computing power that would otherwise be beyond their reach.

 

Each university center is spearheading specific initiatives:

 

SUNY Albany is collaborating with campuses such as Oneonta, Cobleskill, and Hudson Valley Community College to enhance AI-infused coursework and interdisciplinary research addressing real-world challenges.

 

SUNY Binghamton is introducing a free, non-credit microcredential program covering AI fundamentals, workforce applications, and ethical considerations, in partnership with several colleges and community colleges.

 

SUNY Buffalo is working with 11 campuses across Central and Western New York to establish the "AI in Action" fellowship program, focusing on curriculum development, ethics, compliance, and accessibility.

 

SUNY Stony Brook is teaming up with Farmingdale State College and Suffolk County Community College to offer an eight-week paid summer research program, bringing undergraduates from various disciplines to Stony Brook for mentored AI research.

 

These campus partnerships are part of New York's broader investment in Empire AI, a public-private initiative involving universities and research institutions across the state.

 

The governor's 2026 agenda also includes plans to launch Empire AI Beta, significantly expanding the system's computing power, and to establish the nation's first independent university-based AI research center at Binghamton University, focusing on responsibility and ethics.

 

State leaders emphasize that this initiative is designed to prepare students for future careers, support innovation, and ensure that AI development in New York is safe, ethical, and inclusive.

 

By connecting community colleges, technology colleges, and research universities through shared infrastructure, officials believe this effort will put cutting-edge tools into the hands of more students and tie AI advancement directly to public benefit.