UMass Boston

“In the AI era, it must be our humanity that sets us apart.” This was the message Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco had for the campus community at convocation on September 12, urging that higher education must begin educating for an AI future that is humanist.

“We must focus on the humanistic gains that AI can facilitate – like nurturing justice, ethics, health equity, and the practice of democratic citizenship. And let’s be clear: This is challenging when the AI conversation is driven by how it enhances the logic of the market or improves efficiency,” Chancellor Suárez-Orozco said.

While students, faculty, and staff were welcomed back to classes last week, the convocation—which officially marks the beginning of a new academic year— served to remind the UMass Boston community of their shared mission.

The chancellor spoke of how AI provides powerful tools for climate change, such as autonomous energy grids, climate models, and dashboards tracking deforestation and coral reef bleaching. In healthcare, it detects diseases, identifies cancer cells, and develops programmable medicines. Hasbro even produces AI-powered robotic pets that offer companionship to older adults.

Watch UMass Boston's Convocation on YouTube.

“But, like all transformative technologies, AI can expand possibilities but also unleash threats,” Suárez-Orozco said. “We see, for example, a flood of bogus AI-generated content that influences markets, damages reputations, roils politics, and sustains racist narratives. We see loan approval AI algorithms that show bias against minorities. And we see the privacy of consumer data compromised. These threats need to be addressed.”

Suárez-Orozco said UMass Boston’s Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute will not only support the incorporation of AI competencies into the curriculum and provide students with the applied AI skills they need in tomorrow’s workforce, it will also address the ethical challenges associated with AI.

“Going forward, we want to lead in incentivizing AI for the greater good. Our engagement with AI aims to ensure that a UMass Boston education cultivates the ability to apply AI to improving the ways we live,” he said.

Suárez-Orozco emphasized that while AI can assist and enhance our capabilities, it is up to us to ensure that these technologies are used in ways that prioritize human values and ethical responsibility.

“AI can enhance our intelligence,” he said. “But it can never know what it feels like to be inspired. AI can never know what it feels like to have compassion or to experience true love. And AI can never know what it feels like to live with conscience or aspire to excellence.”

Suárez-Orozco also welcomed life sciences inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO Avak Kahvejian to give the keynote address.

A serial entrepreneur and life sciences innovator, Kahvejian is a partner at Flagship Pioneering, where he leads a team that pioneers and launches new therapeutic platforms. He also serves as the chairman of the board of the International Institute of New England, an institution that creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants to succeed through resettlement, education, career advancement and pathways to citizenship.

“I am an immigrant, and because of this I especially appreciate all that UMass Boston does to ensure that students from all places and walks of life have a better chance to thrive and to reach their full potential,” Kahvejian said. “At UMass, you are making such lives possible for a new generation of students, and I am proud to stand with you.”

Read more about Kahvejian’s address.

Earlier in the program, Provost Joseph Berger welcomed 32 new tenure-track faculty members recruited to campus this year through national searches. He also congratulated 40 faculty who have been recognized for being promoted to the rank of associate professor, full professor, and senior lecturer, as well as five library promotions.

“Ensuring that the university builds intellectual strength every year is an important mission.  There is no better way to reach that goal than to continue to support and build the core strength of you, our faculty. A genuine thank you to you for all that you do with and for the university,” Berger said.

Provost Berger spoke of it being a “pivotal moment” in our history as a global society, but also a truly significant new chapter for UMass Boston.

“We’re moving into the future with renewed dedication to holistic student success, impactful research, and all the ambitious priorities illuminated by our strategic plan,” he said. “As a university, we exist for our students, and improving student success is priority number one.”