The $7.2 million facility will support AI education, research and workforce certificates, with specialized labs for robotics, data science, ethics and extended reality.
North Carolina Central University on Monday marked a milestone in the future of artificial intelligence education, cutting the ribbon on a new building that houses the nation’s first AI institute established by a historically Black college or university.
The roughly 5,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Fayetteville and Lawson streets is home to the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research, known as IAIER. The $7.2 million building was funded through a combination of federal Title III grant funding and NCCU trust funds, according to a university news release.
“Today, we are establishing a framework, a blueprint and a launching point for what ethical, responsible and human-centered artificial intelligence can look like in higher education and beyond,” said Siobahn Day Grady, Ph.D., founding director of the institute, in the release.
The building’s interior is built around a central collaboration space flanked by specialized rooms, including the AI Literacy Studio, Machine Learning and Data Science Studio, Robotics and Emerging Tech Lab, XR Innovation Sandbox, Ethics and Governance Classroom and Innovation Atrium.
NCCU Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon, Ph.D., framed the opening as part of a broader push to position the university’s students not just as consumers of AI technology but as architects of it.
“Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every industry,” Dixon said in the release. “We want to not only prepare students but help them shape AI.”
IAIER first launched in January 2025 with $1 million in seed funding from Google.org. The institute’s mission centers on advancing responsible AI development and expanding access to emerging technologies, with an early goal of reaching 200 students within its first two years. Its roster of corporate partners includes Google, OpenAI, IBM, Anthropic, Cisco, AWS, Dell, Lenovo and FICO.
Monday’s building opening is part of a broader rollout of AI programming across campus. NCCU added an AI module to its mandatory Introduction to University Education course for all freshmen beginning in fall 2025. Starting this fall, the university’s Department of Mathematics and Physics will offer a minor in artificial intelligence.
The institute, formally approved by NCCU’s Board of Trustees in December 2025, offers programs ranging from career certificates in AI, data analytics, cybersecurity and project management to seed grants supporting early-stage faculty research. Through an initiative with Google, students and staff can pursue certificates aligned with in-demand workforce skills.
NCCU is a public HBCU and part of the University of North Carolina System, located in Durham.
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