Harvard Highlights AI Advances in Education and Research at Boston AI Week
Harvard University showcased innovative AI tools and research applications during Boston AI Week, emphasizing responsible leadership and educational impact.
- • Harvard’s Digital Transformation team hosted an AI showcase on October 1 during Boston AI Week.
- • SophiAI, a GPT-powered assistant, reached 94% adoption among executives.
- • Generative AI is applied to analyze social media for human well-being insights.
- • The event featured AI applications in education, research, and operational practices.
- • Professor Tsedal Neeley introduced the '30 percent rule' for effective AI leadership.
Key details
On October 1, Harvard Business School’s Digital Transformation (DTx) team hosted the "AI Innovations at Harvard" event as part of Boston AI Week, showcasing the university’s cutting-edge AI applications in learning, research, and operations. Dean Srikant Datar underscored Harvard’s commitment to responsible AI leadership in education and business contexts. Key presentations included the GPT-powered SophiAI executive assistant, which achieved an impressive 94% adoption rate, the Data Insights Analyst chatbot for streamlining student evaluations, and the HBS Live Online Classroom featuring advanced AI video avatars.
Research highlights featured Devika Jain from the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science exploring generative AI to extract insights on human well-being from social media data. Physics professors Kelly Miller and Greg Kestin introduced PS2 Tutorbot, a generative model designed to enhance physics education. DTx emphasized its role in building scalable AI foundations to bolster educational and research capabilities across Harvard. The event concluded with Professor Tsedal Neeley’s keynote on the "30 percent rule," advocating that even foundational AI understanding can empower effective use and leadership in AI implementations.
Plans are underway for a follow-up AI Innovations event scheduled for Spring 2026, signaling Harvard’s continued dedication to advancing AI in academia and beyond.