Carnegie Mellon artificial intelligence institute to receive $20M in federal funding

Carnegie Mellon University will use $20 million in federal funding to establish an artificial intelligence institute that will look for ways to use AI to deal with public health, disaster management and other societal needs.

The AI Institute for Societal Decision Making will develop “human-centric AI tools” that can respond quickly and effectively to uncertain or rapidly changing situations, officials said.

The interdisciplinary effort will tap expertise both on campus and beyond.

The $20 million award is from agencies including the National Science Foundation. Carnegie Mellon’s artificial intelligence institute is one of seven being developed nationally using $140 million in federal funding, according to the foundation and university.

Carnegie Mellon will receive its $20 million over five years.

The institute is scheduled to begin operations June 1, School of Computer Science spokesman Aaron Aupperlee said. The institute’s team will include about 30 researchers and educators and involve others in workforce development and other efforts, he said.

“CMU has not settled on a space yet but is looking to house the institute in a building that is close to both the School of Computer Science and Dietrich (College of Humanities and Social Sciences),” Aupperlee said.

Federal officials hope the seven awards will spark innovation.

“These strategic federal investments will advance American AI infrastructure and innovation, so that AI can help tackle some of the biggest challenges we face, from climate change to health,” said White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar.

Led by Carnegie Mellon, the institute will tap expertise from nearly a dozen other organizations in Pennsylvania and beyond. They include Harvard University, Boston Children’s Hospital, Howard University, Penn State University, Texas A&M University, the University of Washington, the MITRE Corp., Navajo Technical University and Winchester Thurston School.

Aarti Singh, a professor in the Machine Learning Department of CMU’s School of Computer Science, will serve as the institute’s director. She said it’s important to “have social scientists and AI researchers collaborate to come up with solutions that will leverage AI capability while ensuring social acceptance.”