Pennsylvania State University
PA · AI Readiness #5 of 227
AIREDEX™ Score: 9.4 /10
Penn State undergrads can earn a degree in AI Engineering or AI Methods, use AI Studio's free access to OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google models, and land AI internships through Nittany AI Advance.
Vasant Honavar, the university's inaugural Vice Provost for Artificial Intelligence, coordinates AI strategy through a Coordinating Council and four named research centers spanning materials science, responsible AI, and computing. Penn State leads a $20M NSF grant building an AI-powered cloud laboratory for materials discovery, and partners with IBM on MyResource, a campus-wide AI assistant. Faculty upskilling fellowships and an AI ethics program round out the picture. Large public research universities with this level of investment often add a standalone, cross-departmental AI ethics course and a named student AI fellowship.
Pillar grades
- Commitment: A+
- Curriculum: A+
- Partnerships: B+
- Research: A
A(I)ttitude™: leading edge
Selected Highlights
- Vasant Honavar appointed inaugural Vice Provost for Artificial Intelligence effective June 1, 2026, with university-wide mandate; Crystal Ramsay named Assistant Vice Provost for AI as co-primary role.
- AI Coordinating Council co-chaired by David Gindhart (AVP IT) and Crystal Ramsay; multiple named working groups with public outputs including AI Literacy Framework (March 2026).
- Penn State AI Transformation Initiative (Feb. 19, 2026) published with five named strategic goals; AI Literacy Framework and responsible use guidelines at ai.psu.edu.
- Penn State AI Hub coordinates four named cross-disciplinary centers (CENSAI, AIMI, CSRAI, CAFÉ) with named directors; CAFÉ alone spans 75 researchers across 24 academic units.
- Three undergraduate AI degrees confirmed: B.S. in AI Engineering (College of Engineering), B.S. in AI Methods and Applications (IST), and B.S. in AIMA (Penn State Harrisburg, Fall 2026).