InnovateMA and the AI for Impact Co-op
In the AI for Impact Co-op Program, students work full-time on experiential AI projects for social good. AI for Impact students are currently working alongside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of InnovateMA, using generative AI to support impactful projects that are improving the delivery of services and programs for Massachusetts 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.
How this Experiential AI Program Works
Students use artificial intelligence and human-centered design to deliver cutting-edge projects that improve lives.
- Six 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 in six months and create the next generation of AI-enabled leaders.
News from AI for Impact
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Using AI to drive constituent focused outcomes
Burnes Center Senior Fellow David Fields discusses the AI for Impact Co-op program at the AWS Imagine Conference.
Aug. 20, 2024 | | AWS -
Healey admin’s AI blueprint for Massachusetts starts to take shape
Governor Maura Healey highlights the Burnes Center’s AI for Impact co-op program during a visit to Northeastern.
Jul. 19, 2024 | | Axios Boston -
‘AI will transform every aspect of our life,’ Gov. Healey says at artificial intelligence task force meeting at Northeastern
Governor Maura Healey highlights the Burnes Center’s AI for Impact co-op program during a visit to Northeastern
Jul. 18, 2024 | | Northeastern Global News
Project Gallery
A-IEP
Assisting low-literacy and immigrant families the ability to translate, summarize, and ask questions about Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for children with disabilities.
Partner: Innovate Public Schools/AI-EP
CivicConnect
Using AI to improve how members of Congress communicate with constituents.
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
Using AI to make it easier to create well-researched online engagements. This national engagement asks families to identify why we are struggling to teach kids to read in the United States.
Partner: Museum of Science, Citizens Foundation
The RIDE Guide AI
Paratransit helps 44,000 residents obtain access to work, healthcare, and community. This tool helps serve them faster and more accurately.
Partner: MBTA – The Ride
MassHealth Helper
Assisting residents to obtain health insurance, this chatbot gives public professionals efficient access to comprehensive information to speed their responses to the public.
Partner: MassHealth
The Grants Navigator
Giving farmers, businesses, and communities faster and easier access to a wide array of grant opportunities.
Partner: Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
DOTBot
Making some of the nation’s busiest highways safer by supporting MssDOT design engineers with a chatbot for efficient information retrieval.
Partner: Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
Generative AI Sandbox
Providing state government employees with a secure environment to explore and innovate with AI models, ensuring data privacy and simplicity.
Partner: Executive Office of Technology Services and Security
ACHelper
Inefficiencies and complexities in the application process for Internet Connectivity Benefits hinders access to essential digital services for eligible individuals
Partner: Fair Count
The Course Catalog/MA Course Navigator
An ai-driven platform that mines and aggregates publicly available program offerings and course catalog information from the Commonwealth’s 24 community colleges and state universities.
Partner: Massachusetts AI Collaboration for Higher Education (MACH)
SmartChoice
Increasing diversity and competitiveness and creating jobs by helping Massachusetts businesses navigate state procurement.
Partner: Operational Services Division (OSD)
Business Resources Hub
Helping Massachusetts residents grow their businesses and create jobs by making it easier to find state grants, incentives, and opportunities.
Partner: Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED)
Build for Mass
Assisting Massachusetts municipalities, environmental justice groups, rural towns, and historically-underserved communities to apply for state grant, grant-matching, and tax-break opportunities.
Partner: Executive Office of Administration and Finance
A Healthier Democracy AI
Helping low-income Massachusetts residents apply for $80 billion dollars of unclaimed Federal Aid benefits in a healthcare setting.
Partner: Link Health
Key Statistics
50
students working on real world generative AI projects
8
seasoned mentors, including the former tech advisor to the CEO of Google and the CEO/President of Citizens.is
15
client projects
AI for Impact Co-Ops
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Temi Akinyoade
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Jake Ashkenase
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Rui Ge
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Suvir Ghai
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Diane Grant
InnovateMA Co-Op -
Serena Green
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Dhruv Kamalesh Kumar
InnovateMA Co-Op -
Sarah Klute
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Leadora Kyin
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Claudia Levi
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Deepikasai Mettu
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Khushi Patel
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Prasoon Raj
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Sai Panindra Santosh Kumar Majji
InnovateMA Co-Op -
Rishabh Saxena
AI For Impact Co-Op -
Alayna Schwarzer
InnovateMA Co-Op -
Shreya Thalvayapati
AI For Impact Co-Op
AI for Impact Team
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Beth Noveck
Director, The Burnes Center for Social Change -
Santiago “Santi” Garces
Technical Director and Senior Fellow -
Steven Kadish
Senior Fellow -
Róbert Bjarnason
Senior Fellow -
Henri Hammond-Paul
Fellow -
Anirudh Dinesh
Research Fellow -
Cory Ondrejka
Senior Fellow -
Dane Gambrell
Research Fellow -
David Fields
Professor of Practice and Senior Fellow -
Sofía Bosch Gómez
Assistant Professor and Fellow -
Dan Jackson
Senior Fellow and Director of NuLawLab
Are you an employer interested in developing an AI for Impact project? Reach out to David Fields at [email protected]
Are you a student interested in applying?
Reach out to Henri Hammond-Paul at [email protected]
Are you interested in supporting this unique program? Reach out to Kristin Barrali at [email protected]