DMSB AI Strategic Hub

Our students need to learn how to use artificial intelligence as a tool and fully understand its ethical and social implications. This means that at D'Amore-McKim, we allow the use of GenAI and other applications. At the same time, AI should not be seen as the primary driver of business education. Pedagogy still drives the conversion, and we must stay focused on learning objectives. This makes AI the conduit. Teaching relevant (smart, soft) skills, especially the ability to transition from generated content to knowledge, is essential to solving unique business problems and helping students develop authentic and purpose-driven ambitions.

To enhance this kind of thinking and teaching, D'Amore-McKim commits to support:

• Skills to deploy AI and work with data, exemplified in the organization of staff and faculty “AI & Data Days”;
• The delivery of an AI and skills certificate for our students to help their co-op searches and be competitive in the job market;
• Integration of tech solutions and software (such as MATLAB) in our educational efforts, ensuring even richer collaboration with the tech industry;
• Services that encourage faculty to devise use case ideas that assist in developing, regulating, and implementing intelligent technologies.

With the arrival of AI, our research topics will change significantly, and different fields of inquiry must account for the role and influence of intelligent technologies. AI will also transform how we conduct research, including meta-analyses, data collection, and analysis. Our faculty must be prepared for this shift. We therefore commit to:

• Stimulating AI research in the context of relevant business problems by providing up to $5,000 in seed funding per proposal. This funding is intended to initiate research where AI is a variable, outcome, or process within the studied business problems and to encourage grant proposals focusing on AI in business. Recipients are required to submit a brief report one year after receiving the funding. Before requesting additional seed funding, outcomes such as articles, grant proposals, and conference presentations must be reported.
• Keep pace with rapid AI development via $1,000 micro-grants, made available to faculty for developing or deploying new AI approaches in research or teaching. Larger scale use of cloud computing and recruitment of research and teaching assistants trained in AI will enable faster experimentation and learning for faculty and students in research and teaching.

Application details

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until funds are depleted, with a final deadline of December 31, 2024. There is no guarantee of sufficient funds up to the final deadline and applicants are encouraged to submit as soon as possible. Please review the guidelines for grant applications and email submissions to Associate Dean for Research Koen Pauwels at k.pauwels@northeastern.edu.

• Guidelines for grant applications

In order to lead with impact, D'Amore-McKim fosters learning across many borders—geographic, disciplinary, and more. A key aspect of this is our ability to navigate and communicate effectively between academia and the corporate world. As we aim to integrate AI and data into our work more fully, intelligent technologies must become central in this work. Our corporate engagements and development efforts will increasingly focus on donors, alumni, and corporate partners in the tech industry. The goal is to make them a larger part of our school's ecosystem, encouraging organic partnerships between the school, faculty, and companies, such as hiring faculty experts or funding relevant student projects.

D'Amore-McKim must adopt a human-centered approach to technology and data to foster a ‘Tech for Good' mindset among business leaders, enabling decisions that align with the interests and values of all stakeholders. Future business leaders must understand how and why to use technology and data in ways that serve humanity. To this end, D'Amore-McKim commits to:

• Centralizing ethical upskilling and AI governance in our curriculum to educate business leaders who can use AI and data responsibly.
• Conducting research and providing thought leadership on how AI adoption in business can create holistic value beyond mere efficiency and productivity.