Penn has entered into a cooperative artificial intelligence advising agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The partnership was announced on Oct. 30 by Penn President Larry Jameson and Pennsylvania’s Chief Transformation Officer Ben Kirshner during the “Unlocking AI for Public Good” summit. It aims to guide how Pennsylvania uses AI to improve public services and support responsible innovation.

The agreement — which draws on the expertise of Penn faculty members — aims to help the state develop clear guidelines for the use of AI in fields such as education, healthcare, and public administration.

In the announcement, Jameson said the University’s goal is to “inform AI policies that benefit and protect all Pennsylvanians,” adding that “Generative AI is changing how we work, learn, and innovate.”

The summit, convened by Penn AI, included discussions about the role of AI in promoting growth and community-building around Pennsylvania. 

The daylong program, which aimed to centralize University AI usage across 12 schools, featured talks by Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family dean in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Katharine Strunk, dean of the Graduate School of Education.

In the announcement, Shapiro said the partnership is “leading the way in this new era of artificial intelligence” and will “show the nation how we can use AI to grow our economy, empower workers, and deliver better, faster results for the people we serve.”

“AI is evolving faster than any technology in decades, and to stay ahead, we’re connecting our world-class research institutions like Penn, our innovative private sector, and our forward-looking state and local governments to harness its power responsibly,” Shapiro added.

The agreement marks a continued expansion in AI related initiatives at Penn. In February, Penn Engineering was the first Ivy League school to introduce an undergraduate degree in AI. The Wharton School later launched the “Artificial Intelligence for Business” MBA concentration and minor in April. 

The announcement also follows Shapiro’s 2023 executive order establishing statewide standards for the ethical use of AI in government operations.