University of Nebraska launches ‘AI Institute’ for artificial intelligence research

The University of Nebraska announced Monday that a new venture will lean into artificial intelligence. NU President Jeffrey Gold wrote in a university-wide email that the new “University of Nebraska AI Institute” will aim to expand AI use and research across multiple areas, including health care, agriculture, rural and urban development, business and national security.

Gold said the new system-wide AI Institute will "position Nebraska as a national leader in shaping the future of responsible, human-centered artificial intelligence.”

The announcement from NU said the institute will be structured as a “hub-and-spoke model” that will coordinate AI research, teaching and engagement efforts across the university system “while leveraging the unique strengths of each campus and its faculty and positioning our university as a leading institution in this space.”

The AI Institute will be co-directed by UNL faculty members Santosh Pitla, a professor of biological systems engineering and Adrian Wisnicki, a professor of English. The program’s creation stems from a recommendation from the NU AI Task Force, a faculty-led group that developed a system-wide discussion and plan for how the university uses artificial intelligence in its research, outreach, service and teaching.

In the task force’s report, faculty members said the university system must develop an institute with specialized campus centers. The recommendations in the report said the institute’s core responsibilities should include a three-, five-, and 10-year strategic vision for AI research, promote “foundational” AI research, evaluate and implement “strategic cluster hires” to strengthen AI knowledge across the Institute, lead efforts to secure external investments and partnerships with industry leaders like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and AWS, oversee ethical AI policies and facilitate “cross-campus” collaboration.

The task force also recommended that each University of Nebraska campus should host one or more specialized AI centers based on its strengths and resources, but “some cross-cutting areas of AI expertise” that require faculty collaboration across campuses will be housed at “the Institute level.”

The task force created several “key initiatives” for its major campuses. The University of Nebraska Medical Center will focus on AI in health with priorities focusing on AI-driven health care innovation, integration of AI tools for clinical decision support and AI ethics in health applications.

UNL will have its sights set on AI in agriculture with initiatives centered on fostering partnerships with agricultural industries, developing AI tools for rural and farm optimization and hiring and training staff and students in AI for agricultural technology.

UNO will house the Center for AI, Urban Innovation and Business with focuses on developing “smart urban infrastructure solutions,” strengthening cybersecurity research, developing AI’s use in business and legal applications and training professionals in AI ethics.

UNK will focus on AI in the workforce and rural development, with strategies on offering specialized AI development, developing AI tools to improve education delivery and facilitating technology commercialization for rural enterprises.

Along with the major colleges, the task force recommended two new “cross-cutting” centers. One would be an “AI Center for the Humanities, Arts and Ethics” that would focus on AI research and applications in the fine arts and humanities. The other would be a “National and Homeland Security AI Center” that would focus on AI research and applications in national security, cybersecurity, threat detection, defense systems and emergency response, according to the task force’s recommendations.

The AI Institute would pursue federal grants to support much of its foundational and applied AI research, as well as create public-private partnerships with “industry leaders” to develop innovation and commercialization. The strategic plan also calls for the institute to collaborate with Nebraska policymakers to “ensure AI research supports state economic priorities.”

The announcement follows a tumultuous year for NU. The system faced steep cuts from the Nebraska Legislature in 2025. Two of its colleges, UNL and UNK, subsequently cut millions from their budgets. UNL faced the steepest budget reductions, with leaders shuttering four academic programs. The college’s chancellor recently and abruptly resigned in January following months of scrutiny.