This message was sent to the UW Board of Deans and Chancellors, President’s Council, Board of Regents and Faculty Senate.
Dear colleagues,
I鈥檓听pleased to announce that Noah Smith, a professor in the Allen School and senior director of Natural Language Processing research at the Allen Institute for AI,听has听agreed to serve听as the听University鈥檚听first vice provost听and endowed chair听for artificial intelligence.听He will听maintain听his faculty position while serving his听five-year term听which听began听Nov. 1.听Professor Smith鈥檚 endowed chair appointment is pending approval from the Board of Regents.
Throughout the UW, faculty and staff are leading the way in shaping universities in the time of AI. And over the past two years, we have had wide ranging discussions about AI, the need for a University-wide strategy on AI and our institution鈥檚 responsibility to lead in this conversation 鈥� not only in potential applications but in the ethical and equitable use of AI in all aspects of our mission: teaching and learning, research and discovery, outreach and engagement.
With the appointment of a vice provost for AI, we will further position ourselves as a model for how universities can responsibly and creatively adapt to the age of AI in our academic mission and in administration and governance. By leading the AI@UW initiative, Professor Smith aims to accelerate innovation and collaboration, illuminate achievements, and propagate effective practices throughout the UW community and beyond.
The听new听vice provost for AI听position听also听marks the听sunsetting of听the AI Task Force听that听was charged in early 2024听to suggest an institution-wide strategy for AI.听I鈥檇听like to thank the task force members, as well as chairs Andreas Bohman and听Anind听Dey, for their听multifaceted听work exploring听the UW鈥檚 responsibility to lead in the conversation around AI 鈥� not only in potential applications but in their ethical and听equitable听use.听The task force鈥檚听work provides a wealth of insight and ideas to continue the conversation.
AI@UW听will听consist of a set of efforts, including听an AI governance committee, a new AI-focused website that highlights faculty and research across the University,听and听SEED-AI听grants听to听fund projects that听explore听the use of AI, broadly construed, in UW educational activities, led by UW faculty. SEED-AI听grants听will support exploratory projects aiming to discover how AI can enhance learning and teaching across disciplines,听create a learning community within听the听UW,听and听inspire future developments of AI听for teaching and learning听and AI literacy across disciplines, ensuring that our students are prepared for the workforce needs of today and tomorrow.
The vice provost position听and these AI-related efforts are听made possible by the听generosity of donors Lisa and Charles Simonyi听who听recently听established听the Simonyi Endowed Chair for Artificial Intelligence听and the Simonyi Fund for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies.
The听Simonyis听have听a long history of supporting听the UW. Lisa Simonyi is the chair of the UW Foundation听Board,听and Charles Simonyi is a technical fellow at Microsoft, where he also was a pioneer in developing software applications.
Lisa Simonyi听leverages听her leadership and philanthropy to accelerate innovative research and education. She is a tireless advocate for educating students in听AI听so they are equipped to enter the workforce with the skills needed to become industry leaders and innovators.
The Simonyis also have generously supported research at the Institute for Data-intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology, which uses advanced data science to explore the Universe based on imagery gained from the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.
Driven by curiosity and a long-term hope to create useful tools,听 has been at the forefront of research in AI and teaching AI for more than 20 years. He is committed to promoting AI literacy, exploring how AI can enrich learning across disciplines, and helping steer AI’s development in ways that are most useful to the University鈥檚 mission.
I am grateful to Professor Smith for his willingness to take on this leadership role as he guides the University in developing our University-wide strategy and approach to AI research and education, and to the Simonyis for their vision and deep commitment to the University that make this possible.
Sincerely,
Tricia R. Serio
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor, Biochemistry