The AI for Impact Program

In the AI for Impact Program, students work full-time on experiential AI projects for social good. AI for Impact students are currently working alongside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New Jersey using generative AI to support impactful projects that are improving the delivery of services and programs for residents.

In this pioneering “product-based learning” program, teams wield AI as a tool for transformative innovation, turning ideas into measurable impacts in collaboration with the communities they are serving and under the expert guidance of seasoned professionals. This program builds on our twenty-years of experience building civic technologies with governments, civil society organizations and communities.

Download the AI for Impact one-pager

How this Experiential AI Program Works

Students use artificial intelligence and human-centered design to deliver cutting-edge projects that improve lives.

Four month, paid, full-time job
Projects centered around social change
In collaboration with public interest partners
Human-centered co-design with impacted communities
Professional technology, product and community engagement mentors
Deep-dive skill-building workshops to build the AI talent pipeline

Our goal? To deliver working products and create the next generation of AI-enabled leaders.

View the Syllabus

Download the list of AI for Impact projects

Interested in learning more or developing an AI for Impact product? Reach out to David Fields at
[email protected].

News from AI for Impact

The Burnes Center’s Impact Insider

In the latest Burnes Center quarterly report, learn about our literacy initiative, AI for Impact, InnovateUS, and more.

Jun. 16, 2025 | The Burnes Center for Social Change
2025 BostonCIO ORBIE Awards Finalists

Santi Garces, AI for Impact Technical Lead and Burnes Center Senior Fellow, was a Large Enterprise finalist at the 2025 BostonCIO ORBIE Awards. As CIO…

Jun. 06, 2025 | BOSTONCIO | ORBIE
Meet the 2025 Khoury College award winners

Shreya Thalvayapati, a data science and economics student, earned the Undergraduate Co-op Award for her impactful work at the intersection of technology and social change.…

May. 26, 2025 | Juliana George | Khoury College Northeastern

Project Gallery

A-IEP

Built with Spanish-speaking caregivers, A-IEP helps families translate, summarize and ask questions of their child’s Individualized Education Plan, empowering them to advocate for their student learning with a disability.

Partner: Innovate Public Schools/AI-EP

Watch the final presentation

CivicConnect

Test the use of of AI to help a Member of Congress respond to constituent questions.

Partner: PopVox Foundation/The GovLab

ACHelper

An AI-enabled chatbot to guide families through the process of enrolling in the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program that enables low-income households to save on the purchase of a computer and Internet access.

Partner: Fair Count

PolicySynth

Policy Synth is a first-of-its-kind deep research toolkit which uses AI agents and genetic algorithmics to help policymakers identify, design and implement evidence-based solutions. The toolkit’s open-source AI agents automatically scan and analyze thousands of websites to identify problems and develop solutions. Policy Synth guides the policy maker through the process. The system is designed to be used alongside an AI-enabled process of citizen engagement.

Partner: Museum of Science, Citizens Foundation

MBTA Info Hub – The Ride

Today callers to the MBTA’s paratransit service face long wait times and rerouting among call center operators. This chatbot enables paratransit service workers to answer disabled riders’ questions faster and more accurately, increasing rider satisfaction.

Partner: MBTA – The Ride

Watch the final presentation

MassHealth Helper

Generative AI tool for MassHealth Enrollment Centers (MEC) workers to efficiently reference the large volume of documents about eligibility requirements and application procedures when assisting Commonwealth residents enrolling in MassHealth.

Partner: MassHealth

Watch the final presentation

GrantWell

Assisting Massachusetts municipalities, environmental justice groups, rural towns, and historically-underserved communities to apply for federal and state grant, grant-matching, and tax-break opportunities.

Partner: Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

Watch the final presentation

HEKA: Highway Engineer Knowledge Agent

The Highway Engineer Knowledge Agent chatbot empowers design engineers in the MassDOT Highway Division to efficiently query department manuals and documentation, aiding in the design of quicker and safer infrastructure projects for commuters in Massachusetts. (Launched in Fall 2024)

Partner: Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Watch the final presentation

BEACON (Business Enhancement and Assistance Center for Optimized Navigation)

Generative AI tool to help workers respond efficiently and accurately to inquiries from Commonwealth businesses regarding available state grants, programs, and resources.

Partner: Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED)

GENIE (Generative AI Experimentation and Innovation Environment)

A safe sandbox for Commonwealth employees to experiment with using Generative AI tools in their work. Unlike publicly available AI tools such as ChatGPT, which train on the users data, GENIE is designed with the specific needs of state employees in mind.

Partner: Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security

MATCH (Massachusetts Academics to Careers Helper)

Generative AI tool to help prospective students explore programs, courses, and career trajectories across the Commonwealth’s public higher education institutions.

Partner: Massachusetts Executive Office of Education and the Massachusetts AI Collaboration for Higher Education

ABE (Assistive Buyer Agent)

Generative AI tool to enhance the procurement process for state buyers by enabling efficient navigation of procedures and regulations and offering support in understanding their application.

Partner: Massachusetts Operational Services Division (OSD)

A Healthier Democracy AI

Helping low-income residents apply for unclaimed Federal Aid benefits in a healthcare setting. This AI assistant helps low income families apply for benefits in the emergency room.

Partner: Link Health

EASE (Entrepreneurial Application Screening Engine)

AI tool that validates tax clearance documents by flagging potential issues and provides real-time error detection for applicants. The system aims to streamline application processing for small businesses seeking state aid.

Partner: New Jersey Economic Development Authority

FAIR (Fast AI-Assisted Investigation & Review)

AI system that assists with drafting verified complaints, generating document requests, and creating targeted interview questions for civil rights cases. The tool will help the agency handle increasing complaint volumes more efficiently.

Partner: New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division on Civil Rights

Election Content Analysis and Improvement Tool

To help the NJ Division of Elections share accurate and timely information ahead of a gubernatorial election and anticipated changes to election law, this AI tool analyzes website content against established content guidelines and identifies unclear, redundant, inaccessible texts side-by-side by revised text suggestions.

Partner: New Jersey Secretary of State’s Office

Ops Genie

Ops Genie is an AI-powered assistant designed to help HHS staff efficiently retrieve accurate answers from a curated library of over 700 internal documents, including policies, procedures, and FAQs.

Partner: Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS)

One L

One L is a generative AI tool designed to accelerate legal review in the state procurement process by automatically comparing vendor submissions against Massachusetts’ standard contract terms. It flags conflicts, generates redlines, and provides concise rationales to assist attorneys in focusing on complex negotiations rather than repetitive markup tasks.

Partner: Executive Office of Administration and Finance (Operational Services Division) (EOA&F)