City of San José and San José State University Open AI Center for Civic and Social Good at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

On March 3, the City of San José and San José State University celebrated the opening of the AI Center for Civic and Social Good at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, a first-of-its-kind public space expanding access to artificial intelligence education tools and research for residents, students and workers.

Located in downtown San José, the center serves nearly a million residents, as well as the SJSU campus community of nearly 40,000 students and faculty. The initiative reflects a shared commitment by the city and the university to ensure emerging technology is accessible, inclusive and available to all.

"AI is reshaping our economy - and we have a choice: Let it happen to us, or shape it for the collective good. In San José, we're choosing to lead," said Mayor Matt Mahan. "With the AI Center for Civic and Social Good, we're building on AI for All and our workforce upskilling efforts to give every resident the tools, skills and opportunity to thrive in the AI era."

"King Library is one of the most notable joint-use libraries in the country. It is only fitting that we open an innovative joint-use AI center here," said City Manager Jennifer Maguire. "This space aligns directly with the City's commitment to innovation - not just adopting new technologies, but ensuring our community has the opportunity to learn, grow and compete in a rapidly changing economy."

The center represents a strong partnership between the city and SJSU, bringing together civic leadership and academic expertise within the nation's first joint city-university library.

"Universities play a critical role in preparing people not just to adapt to technological change, but to shape it," said Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of San José State University. "The AI Center brings students and the community together to explore responsible AI and apply their learning in ways that serve the public good."

Opening-day demonstrations included an AI-enabled flight simulation by the SJSU Aviation and Technology Department, while city leaders highlighted how AI tools enhance operational efficiency and improve public service delivery.

Nicole Johnson, president and global director of social impact of the Cadence Giving Foundation, was thrilled to see that "the city and the university have collaborated on something so innovative and forward-thinking," adding that the foundation is "really excited to be able to support that in any way."

"We believe that there is going to be a lot of civic and social good from AI technology," Johnson said. "We're really excited about the emergence of, for example, physical AI that can help people in the communities where we live and work, things such as assistive technology and drug development and the work we foresee happening there has so much potential to do good."

Brian Johnsrud, the global director of education, learning and advocacy at Adobe, also shared his support.

"San José State University and the City of San José are in our backyard. We've always had a longtime partnership, and we're really committed to the next generation having responsible AI literacy skills and digital skills," Johnsrud said. " What is better than this center to help them learn better and differently, and to stay more engaged when they're learning? This is setting them up for their careers in a workforce that is rapidly changing, and we know these kinds of skills are the durable skills they're gonna help them have not just good jobs, but meaningful careers."

For San José Public Library, the center advances its longstanding mission of digital equity by expanding free access to emerging technology, educational resources and hands-on learning opportunities.

"Libraries are among the most trusted and inclusive institutions in our communities," said Jill Bourne, San José city librarian. "The AI Center extends our commitment to providing free access to multilingual digital literacy resources and supportive programming that empowers individuals at every stage of learning."

The center also strengthens partnerships with organizations such as The Tech Interactive and expands youth programming through LEGO Education Computer Science and AI, introducing foundational skills in machine learning and creativity.

"The AI Center at King Library is a great example of the power of our library partnership," said Michael Meth, Dean of the SJSU King Library. "Through our collaboration the library is leading the way in providing the SJSU community and the entire city of San José access to state-of-the-art AI tools and resources."

For Lasya Ramachandruni, '26 MS Data Science, the center offers unique opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience.

"We usually have a lot of projects that are happening for our courses in AI," Ramachandruni said. "We have data science projects and machinery projects. Every semester things are happening. We build some projects and there's no fruitful solution after what's next for it or why we're actually building the project, right? So I think this center has an opportunity to give back to society. We can build projects here where it can have a social impact."

The AI Center offers a variety of AI literacy programs, from beginner to advanced levels, and drop-in hours for students and library cardholders. All programs are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit: https://library.sjsu.edu/AIcenter