Governor Kathy Hochul on June 13th. announced the members of the new Emerging Technology Advisory Board, an independent group of industry leaders tasked with charting the course for a thriving emerging technology ecosystem in New York State. The Advisory Board, co-chaired by IBM Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna and Girls Who Code Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tarika Barrett, will help further the Governor’s commitment to making New York the capital of responsible development and use of AI and emerging technologies. The Board also reflects New York’s diversity of thought and experience, including established company leaders, research pioneers, non-profit leaders and industry practitioners who are actively shaping the future of emerging technologies in the State.

“New York is building a global reputation as the place where businesses come to grow, innovate, and start creating the technologies of the future,” Governor Hochul said. “Under Arvind and Dr. Barrett’s esteemed leadership, this Emerging Technology Advisory Board will help us seize that momentum and build a modern, inclusive economy, driven by artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and other fast-growing sectors, that will unlock opportunity for countless New Yorkers.”

IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said, “I’m honored to co-chair the newly announced New York Emerging Technology Advisory Board, along with Dr. Tarika Barrett. This group of leaders will help ensure New York continues to flourish as a global hub for cutting-edge technologies including semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing. We thank Governor Hochul for convening this group and for her leadership in charting the future of New York and our communities.”

CEO of Girls Who Code Dr. Tarika Barrett said, “I’m honored to join Arvind Krishna in welcoming the new members of the Emerging Technology Advisory Board and look forward to collaborating with them as we lead New York into an exciting era of technological advancement. Their tremendous experience and passion for progress will be vital to addressing the urgent issue of our changing workforce. If we want New York to be a leader in the next generation of emerging technology, we need to invest in our diverse communities now, and ensure they are prepared to take on the jobs of the future.”

The Emerging Technology Advisory Board includes the following members:

1. Dr. Tarika Barrett (co-chair), CEO, Girls Who Code
2. Arvind Krishna (co-chair), CEO and Chairman, IBM
3. Albert Bourla, CEO, Pfizer
4. Richard Buery, CEO, Robin Hood
5. Bertina Ceccarelli, CEO, Npower
6. Somak Chattopadhyay, Managing Partner, Armory Square Ventures
7. Mario Cilento, President, New York State AFL-CIO
8. Dev Ittycheria, CEO, MongoDB
9. Joanna Geraghty, CEO, JetBlue
10. Lyndie Hice-Dunton, Executive Director, National Offshore Wind Research & Development Consortium
11. René F. Jones, CEO, M&T Bank
12. Lynn Martin, President, The New York Stock Exchange
13. Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO, Micron
14. Aparna Pappu, Vice President and General Manager of Workspace, Google
15. Julie Samuels, President and Executive Director, Tech:NYC
16. Lisa Sobierajski Avila, CEO, Kitware
17. Pat Wang, CEO, Healthfirst
18. Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation

The Emerging Technology Advisory Board will focus on delivering recommendations in several key areas in emerging technologies. The first six months will focus on AI, including ensuring an ecosystem for emerging technology to flourish; deploying open, trustworthy and responsible AI at scale; preparing the workforce to capitalize on opportunities; and democratizing and changing “the face of AI.”

Governor Hochul’s Innovation Agenda

Governor Hochul remains committed to driving innovation across New York State to attract major employers and create good-paying, 21st century jobs. As part of her FY 2025 Budget, the Governor secured a historic agreement with the Legislature to establish Empire AI, a first-of-its-kind consortium to secure New York’s place at the forefront of artificial intelligence research. The consortium will leverage a $275 million state investment to create and launch a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center on the University at Buffalo’s campus. The center will be used by leading New York institutions to promote responsible research and development, create jobs and advance AI for the public good. The project will be supported by the State and seven 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 – as well as industry leaders.

The Governor previously signed New York’s historic Green CHIPS legislation to drive semiconductor research, development and manufacturing in New York State and announced a $10 billion partnership to bring next-generation chips research to NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex. The Governor has continued to advance a $620 million Life Science Initiative to support innovation in biomedical research. And through strategic investments like the $113.7 million Battery-NY initiative, Governor Hochul has fueled the growth of the sustainability, green technology and energy storage economies in New York State.

The Governor’s innovation agenda has catalyzed major public and private investments, transforming New York’s economy and creating good-paying jobs of the future. GlobalFoundries recently announced an $11.6 billion investment to expand its chip manufacturing campus in New York’s Capitol Region, creating 1,500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. In 2022, Micron announced a 20-year, $100 billion investment to create a megafab campus in Central New York, creating 50,000 new direct and indirect jobs and unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars in community benefits. The Governor’s Life Sciences Initiative helped to solidify New York’s selection for the $300 million Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York, a biomedical research hub in New York City, and significant investments from Schrödinger, Inc., Deerfield Discovery and Development, and other life sciences businesses. Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation also announced a $160 million investment in Binghamton University’s New Energy New York Storage Engine to establish a hub for innovation, technology translation and workforce development to grow the capacity of the domestic battery industry.