New state budget includes funding for the Empire AI consortium

Gov. Kathy Hochul on April 15 announced a conceptual agreement with legislative leaders on key priorities in the fiscal year 2025 state budget, which state lawmakers approved during the weekend. The spending plan includes funding for the Empire AI (artificial intelligence) consortium, which will focus on AI research. (Photo credit: Mike Groll via Hochul flickr)

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State has established Empire AI as part of the newly enacted state budget. Empire AI is described as a “first-of-its-kind consortium to secure New York’s place at the forefront” of artificial intelligence (AI) research, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochulannounced on Monday. The consortium will leverage a $275 million state […]

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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State has established Empire AI as part of the newly enacted state budget.

Empire AI is described as a “first-of-its-kind consortium to secure New York’s place at the forefront” of artificial intelligence (AI) research, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochulannounced on Monday.

The consortium will leverage a $275 million state investment to create and launch a “state-of-the-art” AI computing center on the University at Buffalo’s campus. The center will be used by New York institutions to “promote responsible research and development, create jobs, and advance AI for the public good.”

The Empire AI consortium will include seven New York–based founding institutions: Cornell University, SUNY, CUNY, Columbia University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Flatiron Institute.

“Whoever is at the forefront of artificial intelligence will dominate the next chapter of human history — and I’m committed to seizing that opportunity here in New York,” Hochul said in the announcement. “AI will have a transformational effect on our economy and industries, and these investments ensure that we are using the extraordinary growth opportunity to benefit New Yorkers.”

The initiative will be funded by more than $400 million in public and private investment, including a $250 million state capital-grant investment, and $25 million over 10 years in SUNY funding. The project will also receive more than $125 million from the founding institutions and other private partners. They include the Simons Foundation, whose Flatiron Institute works to advance research through computational methods, and Tom Secunda, co-founder of Bloomberg LP and the Secunda Family Foundation, which provides millions of dollars a year in grants to conservation, health care, scientific advancement, and other causes.

In addition, as part of the budget, Hochul signed legislation to prioritize “safe, ethical”uses as the state continues to build its AI footprint. The legislation includes a requirement that all forms of political communication — including image, video, audio, text or any technological representation of speech or conduct — “disclose the use of materially deceptive media.”