Binghamton University’s AI Research Boosted With $5M Donation From Alumnus

Binghamton Univerity announced on March 26, 2024, a $5 million donation from Bloomberg L.P. co-founder and Binghamton University alumnus Tom Secunda ’76, MA ’79.

The donation goes toward attracting, recruiting, and retaining tech talent, for B.U. students to participate in the artificial intelligence economy of the future.

According to the announcement from Binghamton University, this donation is contingent upon the passage of Empire AI in the 2025 New York state budget, supporting Binghamton University's participation in Empire AI research and development.

As a Binghamton University alumnus, I’m proud to champion novel tech advancement and AI infrastructure at my alma mater. Embracing AI will not only unlock new opportunities for New York, but it will also catalyze the emergence of innovative jobs in uncharted industries with the potential to make our state the Silicon Valley of AI development. I urge the legislature to support opportunities for New York’s students to lead responsible AI research that will have the tremendous potential to improve the lives of all New Yorkers. - Tom Secunda 

Binghamton University notes that researchers on the campus have been working on several projects that use AI to tackle important societal issues, including protecting power systems from malicious attacks and developing a robotic seeing-eye dog for people who are blind.

Empire AI will establish a state-of-the-art AI computing center in Buffalo, New York and it will be the first project of its kind in the country, with research geared toward the public good.

Binghamton University’s faculty, students and staff are enormously grateful to Tom Secunda for his gift on behalf of our artificial intelligence initiatives. AI has unlimited potential to shape the future of our society, our work and our lives, and Binghamton researchers are already trying to answer some of the questions it poses. Mr. Secunda’s donation will allow the University to continue attracting leaders who will do important work on our campus and work with partners across the state to drive the Empire AI project forward. - Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald E. Hall