Princeton’s new AI Lab aims to foster interdisciplinary research

Princeton launches AI Lab to advance interdisciplinary research: The Princeton Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence (AI Lab) is set to launch this fall, aiming to support AI research across various disciplines and integrate insights from natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities into AI technology initiatives.

Leadership and vision: Tom Griffiths, Princeton’s Henry R. Luce Professor of Information Technology, Consciousness, and Culture, will lead the AI Lab as its inaugural director, with Olga Russakovsky serving as associate director.

• Griffiths emphasized the lab’s goal of translating new AI developments into impactful research projects that can accelerate research across the campus.
• The executive committee will include representatives from existing interdisciplinary centers and programs related to AI, as well as leaders of current AI Lab research projects.

Current research initiatives: The AI Lab is launching with three main research initiatives, each designed to be the academic equivalent of a start-up.

• Princeton Language and Intelligence: Focuses on exploring large AI models.
• AI for Accelerating Invention (AI^2): Pursues innovative applications of AI in science and engineering.
• Natural and Artificial Minds (NAM): Explores the interrelationship between AI systems and human minds.

Funding and support: The AI Lab is actively seeking additional funding from various sources to support future research initiatives.

• A seed funding program will be available to faculty initiating research, with proposals due by October 31.
• The lab aims to create and enable a community of researchers involving faculty across multiple units on campus.

Infrastructure and resources: The AI Lab will provide shared infrastructure to support various aspects of AI research and collaboration.

• Administrative staff will assist with events, grants, outreach, communications, and industry engagement.
• Research support will include a new AI Postdoctoral Fellows program.
• Technology support will be provided by research software engineers and data scientists.

Collaborative opportunities: The AI Lab is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing.

• Russakovsky highlighted the unique opportunity to propel AI research forward by intermixing ideas between engineering, sciences, and humanities.
• The lab will scale up capacity to support workshops, a distinguished lecture series, and gatherings to discuss research ideas at various stages.

Potential impact on AI research landscape: The establishment of the Princeton AI Lab represents a significant step in bridging the gap between various disciplines in AI research.

• By fostering collaboration between different fields, the lab has the potential to drive innovative approaches to AI development and application.
• The focus on interdisciplinary research could lead to more holistic and ethically-aware AI solutions, addressing some of the current challenges in the field.
• As a prestigious institution, Princeton’s investment in AI research may inspire similar initiatives at other universities, potentially accelerating the pace of AI advancement and its integration into various academic disciplines.