SUNY invests $5M in new Department of Tech, AI and Society

April 8, 2025

Dear Stony Brook faculty and staff, 

Late last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $5 million investment over the next three years at Stony Brook to develop a new Department of Technology, AI and Society in our College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The funds, which have the potential to be renewed for subsequent years, will support faculty hiring, graduate and undergraduate research, internships and fellowships, new technology, and other AI-focused efforts.

The new Department of Technology, AI and Society will be developed with a new, far-reaching vision that will solidify Stony Brook’s position as a leader in AI and its impact on society. The new department will be built upon and leverage the expertise of our existing Department of Technology and Society and will facilitate interdisciplinary research and thinking among all of our colleges and schools, as well as the new AI Innovation Institute. 

The new department will offer programs to prepare students to engage with the transformative potential of AI. Through interdisciplinary research, public engagement, and collaboration with external partners, the department will take a broad, interdisciplinary approach to artificial intelligence and its ethical, just applications. The department will leverage our unique existing strengths in energy and the environment, medicine and human health, and technology, arts and society.

We have already charged three working groups to develop key aspects of vision and structure of the new department, as well as its future undergraduate and graduate programs. We are deeply grateful to the individuals who have agreed to support these efforts. 

Sincerely,

Carl W. Lejuez
Executive Vice President and Provost

Andrew C. Singer
Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences