Stanford University is launching an interdisciplinary research institute backed by a who’s who of the tech industry to explore how artificial intelligence will affect society, as well as discover new applications for the technology.

The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, or HAI for short, was formally inaugurated today. It’s led by philosophy professor John Etchemendy (pictured, left) and prominent machine learning researcher Fei-Fei Li (right) Li, who teaches at the university’s storied computer science department, recently concluded a two-year stint as chief AI scientist at Google LLC.

The credentials of HAI’s two co-directors have helped the institute attract some high-profile backers. The center’s advisory council includes prominent tech industry figures such as Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft Corp. Research Labs head Eric Horvitz.

HAI is intended to serve as a hub where academics from different fields can collaborate to explore applications of AI in their specific research areas. The institute is launching with more than 200 participating faculty representing all seven of Stanford’s schools, according to the university.

“Understanding [AI’s] impact requires expertise from the humanities and social sciences; mitigating that impact demands insights from economics and education; and guiding it requires scholars of law, policy and ethics,” Etchemendy and Li wrote. “Just so, designing applications to augment human capacities calls for collaborations that reach from engineering to medicine to the arts and design.”

As part of its activities, HAI will host academic gatherings, employ around 20 in-house research fellows and provide AI courses with an interdisciplinary focus to Stanford students. The institute will also give grants to academics tackling subjects related to its focus area.

HAI has already committed funding to about 50 research projects. One initiative supported by the institute seeks to understand how the spread of autonomous machines such as self-driving cars will impact society, while another aims to harness AI to advance neuroscience.

Stanford is reportedly looking to raise more than $1 billion for HAI. That’s the same funding target the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has set for its own interdisciplinary AI institute, the Schwarzman College of Computing, which was announced late last year and is set to open formally in September.

Photo: Drew Kelly/Stanford