Understand the basics of AI, including what it is, how it works, and its benefits and risks.
Explain how organizations are using AI today and reference current best practices.
Confidently lead discussions about the use of AI in your organization.
Apply a framework based on your organization's needs to identify and prioritize opportunities for AI use.
Develop a plan for making your ideas a reality, including through a pilot.
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have the capacity to transform the operation of organizations across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to deliver improved services and lower costs. For many organizations, determining how, when, and where to integrate AI into their work while also navigating the risks it poses can be a significant challenge.
AI in Action provides frameworks and tools for responsible AI adoption and exposes participants to the process of building AI algorithms. Join HKS faculty and guest speakers to examine the benefits and risks of AI, explore real-world successes and failures, and develop a pilot plan to introduce AI into your organization and become an informed leader for AI-driven transformation.
AI in Action is designed for leaders who are considering AI for their organizations or departments and want to gain a basic understanding of the science behind AI and the tools to engage with it responsibly and effectively to improve service delivery for constituents and/or customers.
While the curriculum offers examples of how AI algorithms are built, it does not include technical instruction in coding, data science, or machine-learning development.
This online program consists of three modules:
Module 1: Overview of AI (2 hours)
Format: 1 live interactive lecture
Explore the transformative potential of AI — from automation and prediction to generative AI— for enhanced, more cost-effective service delivery. By examining real-world scenarios, you'll weigh the benefits and risks of using AI and best practices for adoption. This module lays the critical foundation for the content covered in Modules 2 and 3.
Module 2: Use of AI in Organizations (Four 90-minute sessions)
Format: 4 live interactive sessions with small peer group discussions
This module gives participants direct, practical experience with building and using AI models. It examines case examples to explore the benefits and pitfalls of AI applications in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. Due to their complex nature (i.e., many stakeholders, mandated service delivery, complicated procurement), public-sector scenarios will be highlighted. Learning from the challenges and successes of others, you'll discover how to identify pain points and define what success looks like in your organization.
Module 3: Identification and Prioritization of AI Uses for Your Organization (Six 90-minute sessions)
Format: 6 live interactive sessions with small peer group discussions
In a workshop setting, you'll gain additional experience building and using AI models and explore a framework for adopting AI in your organization. Learn how to identify and prioritize the use of appropriate AI applications to address your unique pain points. Plus, propose your challenge, receive feedback, and refine your thinking as part of a small group of participants. This module will prepare you to lead the conversation about AI adoption in your organization, and you'll leave with an AI roadmap and the scaffolding for an AI pilot design.
