Governor Maura Healey Discusses Advances in AI at Northeastern University

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and other officials visited Northeastern University’s Boston campus Thursday, July 18 to discuss investments the Commonwealth is making in AI, and to hear from university experts on how AI can address key issues in climate, health, life sciences, and more.

Healey, joined by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, and Secretary of Technology Services, Jason Snyder, highlighted recent commitments to AI across the state, including the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Strategic Task Force, which includes our Executive Director, Usama Fayyad. Watch Fayyad share his thoughts on the task force here.

Speaking from Northeastern’s Robotics and Intelligent Vehicles Research (RIVER) Laboratory, Gov. Healey specifically acknowledged the efforts of Fayyad, the university’s “innovators,” and the “competitive edge” Massachusetts has in this field.

“It’s a culture of innovation that’s rooted in our universities, like Northeastern, which attracts the brightest minds to discover, to collaborate, and to create,” Gov. Healey said. “From healthcare and life sciences, to clean energy and climate technologies, our innovators are folks who are taking on some of the toughest challenges out there and devising the solutions.”

Northeastern Provost David Madigan kicked off the day’s events, highlighting the university’s early commitment to AI and recognition of its importance, both in the world and in higher education.

“We’re very proud here to be home to some of the most consequential and cutting-edge research related to AI in the world,” Madigan said. “We have extraordinary and exciting AI research going on in the area of detecting cancer, tracking infant health, managing climate change, managing patients after cardiac surgery to ensure their successful recovery.”

In every case, Madigan said, the university keeps an eye on ethics and Responsible AI.

“A key theme of everything we do here at this university in AI is: “‘How do we harness this extraordinary technology to do good?’” Madigan said. 

Gov. Healey also joined Fayyad, Director of AI Faculty, Jennifer Dy, Director of AI for Climate and Sustainability (AI4CaS), Auroop Ganguly, and Affiliate Faculty Members Taskin Padir and Rupal Patel to discuss their critical research at our institute and Northeastern University using AI.

Fayyad discussed how the institute partners with organizations across industries using Experiential AI, the institute’s “code word for AI with the human in the loop,” focusing on impact, real-world applications, workforce upskilling, and more.

Dy described research using machine learning for skin cancer diagnosis, mental health, climate informatics, and more, while Ganguly showcased using the technology for analyzing and predicting extreme temperatures, flooding, and resiliency.

Patel described her research using AI for personalized synthetic voices, while Padir discussed work using robotics for necessary retrofitting to decarbonize the United States.

“Thank you so much, to you, to all the teams, for the cutting-edge work that you are doing,” Healey said to Fayyad.

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