USC announced a $200 million donation from Mark Stevens and his wife Mary to launch a universitywide AI initiative, naming the School of Advanced Computing after the couple. The gift is among the largest in USC’s history and will fund AI research recruitment and work across areas including health sciences, security, business, and the arts. The Stevens gift positions USC as a major AI talent hub by investing directly in faculty and research infrastructure, with USC also signaling an AI bachelor’s program launch for the fall. The campaign reflects intensifying competition among universities to build computing and research capacity in the AI era, where philanthropic capital is increasingly targeted at scaling AI workforce pipelines and cross-disciplinary labs.