AI & Society Research Center

AI is reshaping our world. How can we shape AI?

The AI & Society Research Center at the University at Albany is a cross-disciplinary research hub focused on the human and societal dimensions of artificial intelligence.  

The Center brings together faculty, students and partners from across the arts, humanities, social sciences and technical fields to explore how AI is reshaping public life, culture, ethics, and governance — and to design technologies that support, reflect and protect what matters most about the human experience and the society we live in.

Our work explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the world we live in — and how we might shape it in return. 

 

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SUNY's $2.4M Investment in UAlbany

The AI & Society Research Center and UAlbany’s AI & Society College were founded in 2025 with a $2.4 million investment from the State University of New York to position UAlbany as a leader in responsible, human-centered AI.  

While the College leads curricular innovation under the Division of Academic Affairs, the Center advances interdisciplinary research, fosters scholar-practitioner collaboration and supports the development of tools, frameworks and insights to identify AI’s possibilities, anticipate its risks, and help utilize and shape AI for public good.  

The Center is embedded within the AI Plus Institute and overseen by the Division for Research and Economic Development.
 


 

About the AI & Society Research Center’s Work

Our work is grounded in a deep curiosity about the human experience and a belief that technology should enhance, not erode, what is most vital about it.

The Center’s research and programming are guided by broad themes, like solidarity, resilience, imagination, connection and flourishing, that invite expansive exploration of AI’s role in shaping human experience. These themes serve as points of departure, not limits — opening space for exploration into artistic practice, social systems, technological infrastructures and the evolving ways we live, work and connect.  

By organizing our work around these generative concepts, we create space for wide-ranging collaboration across disciplines, methods and communities, and we discover possibilities for research, storytelling, design and public engagement that respond to the questions and challenges of our time.


 

Get Involved

Join a community of researchers, innovators, skeptics and advocates working to ensure AI enriches our lives while protecting what matters most. There are many ways to get involved with the AI & Society Research Center.

We welcome participation from faculty, students, administrative units, community organizations, industry partners and funders who share our commitment to shaping the role of AI in public life. 

Whether through collaborative research, themed semester programming, fellowships, events or strategic partnerships, we invite you to connect with us and explore how your work, perspective or mission might align with ours.

Please follow the links below to get involved or email the Center at [email protected] to learn more about how you can support our work, including through monetary donations and industry partnerships.

 

Join Our Community
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Connect with researchers, students and collaborators working at the intersection of AI and society.

Join Our Mailing List
Attend an Event
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Take part in public conversations, workshops, panels and programs throughout the year. 

Explore Events
Collaborate With Us
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Work with our team on research, programming or cross-sector initiatives.

Become a Partner