Mercer Times

Princeton University Provost Jennifer Rexford emphasized the importance of remaining nimble in the rapidly advancing field of AI, stating, “Given the rapid advances in AI and its applications, any static framing of research in the field will quickly become out-of-date.” Rexford highlighted the university's approach of launching high-intensity research projects led by interdisciplinary faculty to stay ahead in the fast-developing field.

Dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, Andrea Goldsmith, expressed the commitment of the university to serve humanity through AI research, stating, “Princeton can be uniquely impactful in the very rapidly accelerating AI space because we think about research in AI and applications of AI through the lens of serving humanity.”

Sanjeev Arora, director of Princeton Language and Intelligence initiative, emphasized the importance of open-source models in AI research, stating, “It’s important to have all of that expertise out in the open…As disinterested parties, universities can help society and government understand and manage AI.”

Olga Troyanskaya, director of Princeton Precision Health initiative, highlighted the interdisciplinary approach of the team, stating, “You need a framework: people infrastructure, budget infrastructure, data infrastructure, computational infrastructure. AI research depends heavily on all of those, and none of them are easy or cheap.”

Princeton's scholars, led by various experts across disciplines, are applying AI to a wide range of fields, from geneticists partnering with linguists to decipher DNA, to scholars using AI to reconstruct ancient texts. The university's commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and the ethical use of AI is evident in its various research initiatives and partnerships.

Princeton University is not only accelerating AI research but also focusing on the societal implications of the technology. Arvind Narayanan emphasized the need for a subset of computer science that holds power to account, while scholars like Ruha Benjamin and Jonathan Mummolo are exploring the social impacts of AI, from improving oversight of police-civilian interactions to addressing biases in AI models.

The university's efforts in AI research and its partnerships with industry, government, and academic institutions are driving innovation in the region. Princeton's upcoming artificial intelligence hub for the State of New Jersey, set to host a convening event with key stakeholders, further solidifies its role in advancing AI for the benefit of society.