SUNY Sets a Framework to Scale AI Tools Across Its 64 Campuses

IBL News | New York

SUNY leaders outlined a framework to scale AI use across the system’s 64 campuses. During a Board of Trustees meeting this month. Their goal was to establish a policy to expand the use of AI tools while setting guardrails on how they shape students’ learning, support services, and academic outcomes.

This framework requires training AI in responsible use, embedding literacy into the general education curriculum, and expanding student access to research and learning opportunities.

Some of those efforts are already underway. Twenty SUNY faculty and staff members participating in a cohort for the Public Good Fellows plan to work with colleagues to integrate AI into coursework and help students build skills to evaluate and use the technology responsibly.

At the same time, initiatives like the Empire AI consortium and a new independent AI research center at State University of New York at Binghamton aim to connect students to advanced computing resources, research experiences, and workforce pathways tied to AI.

The policy also calls for institutions to evaluate AI tools for bias, strengthen data-privacy protections and apply greater oversight to AI systems used in processes affecting students, such as tracking their academic progress or accessing campus resources.

“We’re not seeking to replace faculty, but to augment what they’re able to do and give students more academic assistance tools, and to better understand over time where interventions may be necessary or where a student may be struggling,” said Jesse Sloman, SUNY’s Chief Information Security Officer.

“One of our major concerns is making sure that SUNY data—including students’ personal information and academic records—is protected,” he said. “We don’t want a SUNY student using a SUNY AI tool and have that data used to train external models outside of narrow, contractually defined terms.”

SUNY chancellor John B. King Jr. said in a statement that the framework is designed to expand the use of AI in ways that support students while maintaining oversight.