Penn announced establishing the Penn AI Council to lead and coordinate the University’s AI community.

The council, led by five senior faculty, will provide strategic input, coordinate multidisciplinary research, and develop new AI-related initiatives. The announcement said the establishment of the council is “an important step” in implementing “in principle and practice” Penn’s strategic framework.

The inaugural members of the council are Wharton Vice Dean of Artificial Intelligence and Analytics Eric Bradlow, Annenberg Professor of Physics and Astronomy Bhuvnesh Jain, Dr. Edward Rose, and Dr. Elizabeth Kirk Rose, Professor and Vice Dean of Artificial Intelligence and Computing at the Perelman School of Medicine. Marylyn Ritchie, Rachleff University Professor René Vidal and Stevens University Professor and Penn integrates knowledge University professor Duncan Watts.

Bradlow and Jain told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the Council aims to unite Penn’s artificial intelligence initiatives.

“What will make our impact even greater is having all of Penn’s assets around AI work together to impact research, education, business and society,” Bradlow said.

The Council’s agenda includes organizing university-wide symposiums, establishing reading groups for faculty, developing programming for students, and investing in large-scale computing infrastructure. The initiative also involves the launch of a full website which will serve as a hub for related activities across the campus.

Jain emphasized the importance of preparing students for life after college, saying that “AI is touching more areas than we imagined even a couple of years ago.” He added that the question of how to best equip students drives the Council’s educational initiatives, which aim to position Penn students as leaders in scientific discovery, social impact and AI development.

“What interests me most is the research aspect: how AI can help us drive scientific discovery and the possibilities for Penn students to get into research with the help of AI,” Jain said. “I think it’s really timely and I think it’s great that Penn is aiming to do great things starting with the strengths that we have spread across our schools and departments.”