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UB experts in education, literacy and artificial intelligence gathered on Tuesday  to celebrate the first-year accomplishments and plan for the next phase of work for the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI (CELaRAI). Located in 205 Lockwood, the new center will provide critical literacy and learning opportunities to K-2 students using AI-driven technology and innovation.

CELaRAI is a collaboration among multidisciplinary educators, researchers, policymakers and AI specialists working together to advance early literacy through the responsible use of AI. The center is made possible through a $10 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences. The grant — awarded to X. Christine Wang, professor of learning and instruction in the Graduate School of Education — builds on other research entities dedicated to harnessing AI for the public good, including UB’s National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, which is developing AI tools to diagnose and treat children with speech and language disorders.

CELaRAI includes more than 40 researchers — 10 senior researchers, and more than 30 students and postdocs. They represent UB and five additional institutes: East Carolina ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, Michigan State ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, Stanford ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ of California, Los Angeles, and ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The aim of CELaRAI is to bring together multidisciplinary educators, researchers, policymakers and AI specialists to advance early literacy through the responsible use of AI.

One of CELaRAI’s core initiatives is the development of a tool called AIRE, or AI Reading Enhancer, which will support K-2 students in independent reading. AIRE aims to improve key literacy skills such as phonics, word recognition, fluency and comprehension.

“Our work involves three main areas – the research and development of AIRE, tackling responsible AI challenges and providing national leadership in this space,” Wang said at the opening ceremony.

During the celebration, the CELaRAI team shared the progress in their research and development areas, including a prototype of AIRE, a policy review of responsible AI in education and preliminary results of the Exploratory Study. AIRE will generate decodable texts personalized to children’s linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It will be integrated into school platforms and used during independent reading time, providing support while teachers engage with small groups.

“AI can tailor reading materials to a child's level, interests and linguistic habits. We design AI to augment human capability, not replace teachers. The goal is to get the right text to the right child at the right time,” said CELaRAI co-principal investigator Chris Hoadley, a professor in the Graduate School of Education and director of the UB Institute for Learning Sciences.

Added Wang: “In daily life, you're going to see the difference these tools will make. It’s going to positively impact teachers' work and children’s learning in real classrooms — and in your community.”

As a SUNY flagship institution with a robust cyberinfrastructure, UB has long been recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in AI and data science. The university has more than 200 researchers exploring the use of AI and data science to advance cybersecurity, drug discovery, robotics, education, environmental science, transportation and other critical fields.

A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, noted the critical role that CELaRAI will play helping young students thrive in the classroom.

“I’m a passionate advocate for early literacy. We all know the foundational importance of literacy to social mobility and an educated population,.” he said. “Recent national studies have shown a decline in reading proficiency, so this center’s work is more vital than ever.”

He added that CELaRAI will contribute to UB’s growing prominence as an international leader in harnessing AI for the public good. That includes the National AI Institute for Exceptional Education; being home to Empire AI, New York State’s $400 million AI research consortium; and UB’s new Department of AI and Society.

“We’re proud of the center’s dedication to ethical and responsible AI — focusing on fairness, transparency and safeguarding student data,” Weber said.