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Loeb & Loeb Guides Consortium in Formation and Launch of Empire AI

Loeb & Loeb is proud to announce that a team of interdisciplinary firm lawyers, led by Nonprofits & Tax Exempt Organizations partner Yael Fuchs, worked with a consortium of universities to launch Empire AI, a New York-based nonprofit serving New York’s leading institutions to advance responsible artificial intelligence (AI) research and development and unlock opportunities focused on the public good. The initiative has received strong support from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, underscoring New York's commitment to innovation in AI.

The consortium, known as the Empire AI Consortium, includes seven New York-based founding institutions: Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the State University of New York, the City University of New York and the Flatiron Institute of the Simons Foundation. The Simons Foundation made a philanthropic contribution of initial computing power and expert staffing, allowing Empire AI to jumpstart their research. 

From the outset, members of Loeb’s Nonprofits & Tax-Exempt Organizations practice collaborated with consortium members to establish the Empire AI Consortium as a New York not-for-profit corporation. In connection with the Simons Foundation’s provision of computer equipment, Loeb’s Technology & Sourcing team assisted the consortium in securing the loan of essential computing resources, including drafting the necessary agreements for the equipment loan. 

As Loeb assists in finalizing the formation of Empire AI and the consortium leads New York in AI research for the public good, the firm is also advising the consortium on a range of other matters, including corporate governance, employment and real estate.
 
In addition to Yael, the Loeb team representing the Empire AI Consortium includes Nonprofits & Tax Exempt Organizations partner Talia Metson and associate Ana Maganto Ramirez; Advanced Media & Technology partner Akiba Stern and associate Maxwell Harwitt; and Employment & Labor partner Mark Goldberg.

For more details, please see the press release from Governor Hochul’s office.