Goldman's Data Science Classes Reject Fully AI-Generated Work

24 patents underpin the new academic standards set by Prof. Claudia V. Goldman, an associate professor in the Data Science Department at the Hebrew University Business School in Jerusalem. Since taking the position in July 2024, she has implemented specific protocols to manage the integration of artificial intelligence in student coursework.

Goldman’s career includes 15 years as a research scientist in General Motors’ research and development organization in Herzliya, where she worked on learning agents for vehicle user experiences. Prior to that, she served as a team leader at Samsung Telecom Research for three years. Her academic background includes three degrees from the Hebrew University, culminating in a PhD in computer science in 1999.

In her classes, students are explicitly told when and why AI tools may be used. They must credit the technology and explain its application in their work. Goldman stated that fully AI-generated answers are not accepted. She informed students that she can detect AI in their writing, encouraging them to remain critical users rather than passive ones. Students are asked to check for bias and verify that cited sources actually exist.

The evaluation process relies on a mix of classwork, presentations, and peer-organized activities. This structure allows Goldman to assess understanding in person, reducing reliance on written text that might be generated by machines. The curriculum also includes discussions on human responsibility, values, and the professional identity of researchers.

Goldman addressed the concept of 'Human Reserved' jobs, a suggestion by Bill Gates to set aside specific roles for people. She argued that the issue is not a simple binary choice between human and automated professions. Instead, she emphasized the importance of understanding the specific benefits AI brings to different roles and identifying the critical skills needed to strengthen those roles.

The Business School offers courses such as AI for Social Good, Responsible AI, and When AI Meets Humans and Society. The Hebrew University also maintains a Free Listener Program that allows senior citizens to audit courses. The fall semester is currently beginning, marking the start of a new academic cycle under these guidelines.

Goldman moved from Argentina to Israel in January 1984 at age 16. She attended a Jewish school in Buenos Aires where she studied in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Spanish. Her father had long wanted to leave Argentina, and she told him in 1983 that the only place she saw herself growing up was Israel. The family made aliyah six months later.

She met her husband, Prof. Roy Shenhar, a full professor at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Chemistry, on the Givat Ram campus in 1995. They met on the stairs of the Ross Building, and after running into each other a third time, he bought her ice cream according to Hebrew custom. They married in 1999.