UB to receive $20M federal grant for artificial intelligence research

Published January 10, 2023

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The Buffalo News reports that UB has received a $20 million National Science Foundation grant to establish the AI Institute for Exceptional Education, which will develop artificial intelligence systems that identify and assist young children with speech and/or language processing challenges.

“There simply aren’t enough speech-language pathologists in the United States and, as a result, children are not receiving life-changing interventions soon enough,” said Venu Govindaraju, vice president for research and economic development at UB and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering,  and the grant’s principal investigator. “Our multidisciplinary team will create advanced artificial intelligence systems that address this critical problem.“

UB President Satish K. Tripathi was quoted in Forbes, saying that “being chosen by the National Science Foundation to lead this impactful initiative underscores the pivotal role our world-class researchers play in addressing society’s most pressing challenges, including cultivating just and inclusive environments that enable young learners to flourish.”

Read the story here and the National Science Foundation announcement here.  WBFO-FM and WKBW-TV covered the grant announcement; those reports are not available online.