Rutgers University-New Brunswick
NJ · AI Readiness #149 of 227
AIREDEX™ Score: 6.1 /10
Rutgers-New Brunswick undergraduates have free access to Google Gemini, NotebookLM, and a researcher-grade AI API gateway, while a $10 million Chancellor's investment in the RAD Collaboratory and a campus-wide AI literacy program run through the university libraries and teaching institute.
Rutgers undergrads can engage with AI across business, public policy, and humanities, with integrated generative AI in accounting, marketing, management consulting, and critical AI studies courses. The university's AI@Rutgers Steering Committee, with co-chairs and five working groups drawing from more than 100 faculty and staff, has produced published guidance and an active resource portal. Student compute access runs through the Amarel HPC cluster, open to all enrolled students. Compared with some Big Ten peers that have already launched undergraduate AI majors or minors, it is possible that Rutgers curriculum development may eventually serve as the basis of an AI major or minor.
Pillar grades
- Commitment: C+
- Curriculum: C
- Partnerships: C
- Research: B+
A(I)ttitude™: neutral
Selected Highlights
- AI@Rutgers Steering Committee confirmed with named co-chairs (Charles Collick, Erin Brewster Vosseler), five working groups, 100+ participants, and published guidance output within past 2 years.
- Institutional AI guidance published June 2024 by CIO Michele Norin; updated August 2025; includes stated goals, governance commitments, ethical guidelines, and named programs (RAD Collaboratory, AI@Rutgers).
- $10M named capital commitment from Office of the Chancellor confirmed in multiple sources (October 2024); additional Presidential Roadmaps funding also documented.
- RAD Collaboratory confirmed as cross-disciplinary hub drawing from 11 schools; interim director Stephen Burley named; BMIHAI confirmed with named inaugural director Leslie Lenert; active programming including seed grants, fellowships, and Research Ideation Forums.
- Critical AI @ Rutgers confirmed as named cross-school ethics initiative with named steering committee (Ellen Goodman, David Pennock, Anand Sarwate, Susanna Schellenberg); publishes peer-reviewed journal Critical AI; AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers-Camden has cross-campus scope with named courses.