Touro College & University System

Touro College & University System is a private Jewish university system headquartered in New York City. It was chartered in 1970 and enrolled its first class in September 1971, founded by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander with the mission of promoting Jewish heritage while serving the broader community through high-quality education. Today it operates more than 38 schools across New York, California, Illinois, Nevada, and Montana, with international campuses in Jerusalem, Berlin, and Moscow. The system serves approximately 20,500 students and has over 130,000 alumni, with particular strength in health sciences, law, business, and Jewish studies. Touro's connection to AI safety and existential risk reduction is narrow but substantive. The Touro Law Center is home to Professor Gabriel Weil, an Assistant Professor of Law who joined the faculty in 2022 and teaches courses on torts and law and artificial intelligence. His central research program examines the role that tort law can play in mitigating catastrophic risks from artificial intelligence. His January 2024 paper 'Tort Law as a Tool for Mitigating Catastrophic Risk from Artificial Intelligence' argues that the existing U.S. tort liability system is ill-equipped to deter AI harms in truly catastrophic scenarios where compensation would not be feasible, and proposes reforms including novel punitive damages structures, strict liability for training and deploying advanced AI systems, mandatory liability insurance, and an AI safety fund funded by diverted punitive damages. In May 2024, Open Philanthropy awarded Touro College & University System a grant of $19,783 to support Professor Weil's ongoing legal research on AI governance. This grant falls within Open Philanthropy's 'Potential Risks from Advanced Artificial Intelligence' focus area. Weil is also affiliated with the Institute for Law & AI and has published on AI insurance and liability at AI Frontiers. He regularly consults with legislators and policymakers on AI policy matters. Beyond Weil's work, Touro has also developed system-wide AI literacy and governance initiatives for its faculty and students, launched a Faculty Innovation Grant Program focused on integrating AI into teaching, and established AI use policies rooted in ethical, transparent, and responsible AI deployment.