John Byers Appointed Executive Director of AIDA and AI Advisor to the Provost
Boston University has announced that John Byers, Professor of Computer Science in the College of Arts & Sciences, has been appointed Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence Development Accelerator for Academic and Administrative Excellence (AIDA) and AI Advisor to the Provost, effective November 1.
Byers steps into this position with a strong record of leadership across the University. He is a former Senior Associate Dean of the Faculty for Mathematical and Computational Sciences and previously served as AIDA Co-Director for AI in Academics. His background also includes more than twenty years of entrepreneurial experience as the founding Chief Scientist and Director at the technology incubator Cogo Labs (now Link Studio), where he helped develop data-driven and AI-powered methodologies that supported several successful startup ventures.
In his new role overseeing AIDA, Byers will guide University-wide efforts to integrate generative AI into academic programs and administrative processes, with the goal of elevating the educational, research, and operational experience for students, faculty, and staff. As AI Advisor to the Provost, he will collaborate closely with academic leadership to ensure that BU’s schools and colleges prepare graduates for a workforce increasingly shaped by AI fluency.
AIDA serves as the University’s central hub for advancing responsible and strategic AI adoption. Its mission includes promoting AI literacy, supporting innovation in teaching and learning, strengthening research that leverages AI across disciplines, and fostering coordinated governance practices. Byers’ continued engagement in teaching and research will allow him to bring insights from the classroom and the lab directly into AIDA’s strategic direction.
This appointment complements Boston University’s broader, multi-dimensional approach to advancing artificial intelligence. This University-wide effort spans academic degree evolution led by the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, AI-enabled research supported by the Hariri Institute for Computing and several other centers, and classroom-focused guidance from the Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning.
The CS Department congratulates Professor Byers on this new leadership role and looks forward to the continued growth of AIDA as the University strengthens its position at the forefront of thoughtful, future-focused AI integration.