University of Washington

The University of Washington, founded in 1861 and based in Seattle, is one of the oldest and most distinguished public universities in the western United States. With campuses in Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma, UW enrolls over 63,000 students and employs approximately 29,500 faculty and staff across all campuses. In the context of AI safety, UW's primary relevant unit is the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, which lists AI safety as one of seven core pillars of its AI work alongside machine learning, computer vision, NLP, robotics, human-AI interaction, and AI systems infrastructure. The school has more than 90 faculty members, 74 of whom are tenure-track, and many maintain concurrent engagements with leading AI organizations including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2). RAISE (Responsibility in AI Systems & Experiences) is UW's dedicated center for responsible AI research, drawing researchers from over a dozen labs across disciplines. RAISE studies AI applications in areas underserved by market incentives, focusing on equitable access, public sector use, and aligning AI development with human ethics and values. It is supported by the National Science Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, and Cisco. In November 2025, UW launched AI@UW, a cross-campus AI initiative funded by a $10 million philanthropic gift from Charles and Lisa Simonyi. The initiative includes SEED-AI research grants, teaching resources, and coordination of AI research across the university. Additionally, Open Philanthropy supported UW lecturer Jared Moore to develop a Philosophy of AI course covering alignment, consciousness, AI risks, and related topics. UW is the fifth-largest employer in Washington State and has an annual economic impact of approximately $21 billion. Its total annual budget is approximately $10.9 billion, of which $1.4 billion supports the university's core academic mission.