Illuminating AI

Communication, understanding, and impact in the age of AI

The AI Literacy Lab at Northeastern University is an initiative for thought, collaboration, and insight on communication around artificial intelligence. Led by journalism and computer science faculty, working alongside veteran journalists, we are building projects to enhance public understanding and mission-driven use of AI. We’ll equip journalists with the resources to understand AI and use it in service to their mission. We’ll give technologists guidance in communicating their work, and opportunities to apply their skills for the public good. Our goal is to foster a well-informed global society that can grapple with the promise, pitfalls, and consequences of emerging technology.

If you’re a technologist in search of mission-driven projects, a journalist looking for guidance about AI, or a global citizen interested in using technology to enhance communication and democracy, please reach out — we want to work with you.

Report: AI and Trust

In August 2023, we conducted a poll of 1,000 Americans 18 and older to gauge their feelings and attitudes about AI. We found that AI has caught the public’s attention and created a deep sense of caution and skepticism. Americans doubt that the people who developed generative AI will be the best stewards of the technology. They favor regulation and ethical guidelines, even if they’re not certain who should be making the rules. And they are thinking deeply about which potential uses of AI are appropriate or helpful to society, and which seem to cross a moral or ethical line.

Read our report

Read the topline data

Past programming