CCDS Hosts Experts and State Officials for Event on AI Progress
Excerpt from BU Today | By: BU Today Staff | December 15, 2025 | Photo: Cydney Scott
As AI’s role in local, national, and global economies continues to expand, Massachusetts—a leading technology innovator, thanks in large part to its density of higher education institutions—is becoming a key player in artificial intelligence development.
On Friday, December 12, Boston University’s Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences hosted an event highlighting just how much AI work is happening across the state—and the leading role BU’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences is playing. The event was held on the building’s 17th floor, with views overlooking the Charles River and the Boston skyline.
The Massachusetts AI Hub, created to scale the state’s AI initiatives, is at the nexus of everything, with Sabrina Mansur as its inaugural director. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative—which supports the hub and is led by CEO Carolyn Kirk—is also leading the charge. BU has partnered with the Innovation Institute at MassTech on various projects, including the Robotics & Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center and the New England Research Cloud.
A research panel was established, featuring faculty from Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, UMass, and Yale. At Friday’s event, a representative from each school participated in a lightning round of presentations, with Azer Bestavros, BU associate provost for computing and data sciences and William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, representing BU.