24 patents and a new classroom: AI rules at Hebrew University

Prof. Claudia V. Goldman enforces strict protocols for artificial intelligence use in her data science courses at the Hebrew University Business School in Jerusalem. Since joining the faculty in July 2024, she has integrated AI tools into the curriculum while maintaining rigorous standards for student output. Her approach relies on her background as a researcher with 24 patents and more than 50 published academic papers.

Goldman tells students exactly when and why they may employ AI tools. She requires them to credit the technology and explain their specific usage. Fully AI-generated answers are rejected, and students are aware that she can detect machine-generated writing. She encourages brainstorming with AI but demands that students remain critical, checking for bias and verifying the existence of cited sources.

Assessment methods include classwork, presentations, and peer-organized activities. These in-person evaluations allow Goldman to gauge student understanding directly. The curriculum also covers human responsibility and values, discussing what kind of professionals students should become in an era of increasing automation.

Regarding the concept of reserving certain jobs for humans, a suggestion made by Bill Gates, Goldman argues the issue is not a simple binary. She focuses on understanding the benefits AI brings to different roles and the critical skills needed to strengthen those roles. The Business School supports this through courses such as AI for Social Good and Responsible AI.

Goldman’s career spans academia and industry. After earning her PhD in computer science from the Hebrew University in 1999, she held research posts at Bar-Ilan University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Haifa. She later led a team at Samsung Telecom Research in Herzliya and spent 15 years as a research scientist at General Motors, where she worked on learning agents for vehicle user experiences.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Goldman moved to Israel in January 1984 at age 16. She attended a Jewish school in Buenos Aires through seventh grade, studying in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Spanish. Her father wished to leave Argentina, and in 1983, Goldman told him, "The only place I can see myself growing up is Israel." The family made aliyah six months later. She graduated from Mae Boyer High School in Jerusalem in 1986 and served in the army before returning to the Hebrew University for her undergraduate and graduate studies.

The fall semester is currently underway at the Hebrew University. The institution also runs a Free Listener Program that allows senior citizens to audit courses. Goldman met her husband, Prof. Roy Shenhar, on the stairs of the Ross Building on the Givat Ram campus in 1995. They married in 1999.