PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 1 — Princeton University has launched a new academic unit, Data and Intelligent Systems (DaIS), designed to accelerate discovery in artificial intelligence and data science while supporting research and teaching across disciplines. The initiative builds on the deep links between AI and data science at Princeton while creating space for continued rapid progress in each field. Provost Jennifer Rexford, the Gordon Y.S.
Wu Professor in Engineering, said that by advancing both foundational work in AI and its application to important questions across disciplines, DaIS will help accelerate research, teaching, and innovation throughout the University. Rexford noted that DaIS will allow Princeton to seize opportunities presented by the fast-moving technology and help shape its course, fostering collaboration across the sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities.
Two research pillars
DaIS encompasses two related research pillars: Princeton AI and Princeton Statistics and Data Science, which represent the evolution of the AI Lab and the Center for Statistics and Machine Learning. The new academic unit is co-led by Tom Griffiths, the Henry R. Luce Professor of Information Technology, Consciousness, and Culture of Psychology and Computer Science, and Arthur Spirling, the Class of 1987 Professor of Politics.
Griffiths and Spirling said DaIS was intentionally created to evolve with rapid developments in AI and data science. Griffiths said the nimble structure will allow Princeton to continue to lead in these areas and grow in response to exciting advances.
Spirling added that incorporating data science as an equal partner to discovery in AI builds on the University’s traditional interdisciplinary strengths, enabling Princeton to respond quickly but thoughtfully to the coming revolution in research.
What DaIS will do
DaIS will support innovative research projects, connect scholars across academic departments, support undergraduate and graduate education, and assist faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in using cutting-edge AI and data science tools for research in all fields. Spirling said the goal is to connect people from different disciplines to collaborate in new ways to tackle big questions, describing DaIS as a platform for supporting faculty and students in ambitious interdisciplinary projects.
DaIS includes existing Princeton AI research initiatives: AI for Accelerating Invention, Natural and Artificial Minds, and Princeton Language and Intelligence. This fall, DaIS will launch two new initiatives exploring AI’s impact on humanity: the AI Alignment and Safety initiative, led by Elad Hazan, professor of computer science and director of Google DeepMind Princeton, and the Princeton Societal AI initiative, led by Janet Vertesi, associate professor of sociology, and Matt Jones, the Smith Family Professor of History.
Griffiths said these initiatives exemplify the interdisciplinary work DaIS supports, focusing not only on innovating core technologies but also on doing so thoughtfully and responsibly, addressing the real impact of AI on society and ensuring these systems are beneficial for humans in the long run. Vertesi said she is excited to grow the Princeton Societal AI project through DaIS, which has an interdisciplinary research team of humanists, social scientists, and computer scientists.
