AI for the Public Good

Advancing AI for the Public Good

A Binghamton University–SUNY Campus Partnership Initiative

Overview

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work, learn, and innovate, with applications in healthcare, manufacturing, business, cybersecurity, and governance. With its investments in EmpireAI and other AI initiatives, New York State and SUNY are positioned to lead this transformation through the combined strengths and interdisciplinary collaborative culture of its university centers, university colleges, technical colleges, and community colleges.

Building on these strengths, Binghamton University is leading the Advancing AI for the Public Good initiative, a comprehensive, multi-campus collaboration designed to expand artificial intelligence (AI) education, research, and workforce development opportunities across the State University of New York (SUNY) system. This initiative builds upon Governor Hochul’s Empire AI investment and SUNY’s creation of Departments of AI & Society to ensure equitable access to AI education and applied learning statewide.

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The partnership aligns with SUNY’s goals to democratize access to AI and ensure that students have opportunities to engage in AI-related education and research, regardless of their campus, major, or background. Faculty from each partner campus will play an active role in the design, delivery, and mentorship components of this initiative, building institutional capacity and fostering long-term partnerships for AI-driven learning and innovation. 

Objectives

  1. Increase student opportunities to learn AI principles. We aim to introduce students to foundational AI principles, workforce applications, and ethical considerations by developing and launching a co-designed online non-credit microcredential course, AI Prep for Careers. The course will be co-designed and co-taught by faculty from Binghamton and partner campuses. Binghamton will offer the microcredential free of charge to students, and the course content will be open to any partner campus, ensuring statewide accessibility.
  2. Increase student research skills and experience related to AI. We will launch a 10-Week Summer AI Research Experience (May 26–August 1, 2026), in which 14 students, two undergraduates from each partner campus and two from Binghamton University, will participate in mentored research projects, including those utilizing Empire AI resources, cohort-building activities, and professional and career development.
  3. Improve student, faculty, and staff professional development related to AI. We will host an annual AI Symposium during the final week of the summer program to showcase student research, promote faculty collaboration, and engage industry partners in interdisciplinary discussions on AI and its impacts on society, including in the workplace.
  4. Strengthen Faculty Capacity for AI Pedagogy and Research. The partnership will build a cross-campus community of practice to co-develop curriculum, mentor students, collaborate on research, and secure external funding. 

Goals

The overarching goal of the Advancing AI for the Public Good initiative is to establish SUNY as a national leader in inclusive and responsible AI education. By fostering access to high-quality AI learning experiences, the project aims to provide students from regional and community campuses with the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding necessary to succeed in AI-enabled careers. This initiative aims to develop scalable and replicable models for AI learning and workforce development that can be applied across the SUNY system and beyond, ensuring equitable, high-impact, and sustainable AI education.