USC receives $200 million gift to expand AI across campus
USC announced a $200 million donation from venture capitalist Mark Stevens to establish artificial intelligence research and expertise across the university. The gift, one of the largest in the school's history, will rename the School of Advanced Computing as the USC Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
The funding aims to integrate generative AI and related technologies across disciplines including medicine, engineering, business, the arts and film. USC President Beong-Soo Kim, appointed in February, called the donation a major early win for his administration.
Part of a broader university funding surge
The Stevens gift follows a wave of nine-figure AI donations to major universities. In April, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation gave $750 million to the University of Texas at Austin for a medical center with AI initiatives. The University of Wisconsin-Madison received $100 million in donations for a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
Stevens, 66, is a managing partner at S-Cubed Capital and former partner at Sequoia Capital. His net worth exceeds $11 billion, much of it from his stake in chipmaker Nvidia. He previously donated $22 million to USC in 2004 and $50 million in 2015 for a neuroimaging institute.
Where the money goes
USC will use the funds to recruit faculty and researchers across multiple areas. Kim said the university is not seeking only AI specialists but scholars who can apply AI to accelerate work in medicine, cybersecurity, national security, business and entertainment.
In health sciences, Kim highlighted USC research in regenerative medicine, neuroimaging and Alzheimer's disease. He identified medical discovery and drug development as among the "biggest and most exciting" areas for AI application.
The School of Cinematic Arts has been exploring AI as a creative tool - a sensitive claim in Los Angeles, where writers, actors and musicians have raised concerns about automation. Kim said the focus is not to replace human creativity but to provide tools that center on human values and agency.
Faculty and students express caution
Not all voices at USC are enthusiastic. Sanjay Madhav, an associate professor of technology and applied computing practice, said students increasingly use tools like ChatGPT to offload critical thinking skills rather than develop them.
Madhav cautioned against uniform AI policies across campus. "Ultimately, regardless of what university-wide initiatives may come from this gift, I think it's important that faculty continue to be able to make domain and class-specific decisions on AI use," he said.
A USC AI committee is developing recommendations for classroom use, curriculum, academic integrity and ethics. The university is considering AI courses for students in every major, along with coursework on AI's impact on society, human values and ethics.
Amy Eguchi, a teaching professor at UC San Diego who studies AI, said universities face a fundamental challenge. "The biggest issue AI creates for us as educators is that it's harder to figure out what to do with this tool and what to do with students, because we don't know what they need to learn at this point about AI because it's changing so fast," she said.
The stakes
Stevens said universities risk falling behind if they do not invest quickly in AI, especially since major recent advances have come from private companies rather than academic labs. He also acknowledged potential risks.
"AI in the wrong hands can be very destructive," Stevens said. "I think one of the jobs of universities in America is to understand, have a balanced approach, understand the guardrails and the safeguards that need to be adhered to as AI proliferates."
Kim said USC aims not simply to lead in using AI but to be the most thoughtful university in terms of how to use it ethically and responsibly.
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