Introducing CAAI Executive Director Maryam Saleh

I am delighted to join the Booth community at a time when AI is reshaping how we work, teach, learn, and conduct research. We have an opportunity not only to study how AI is transforming organizations, but to put those insights into practice as we shape Booth's own transformation.

My professional journey led me to this role. I earned my PhD in computational neuroscience here at the University of Chicago, a field closely connected to the foundations of artificial intelligence. My doctoral program emerged as advances in neural recording technologies were generating vast amounts of data, demanding new computational methods to understand how large networks of neurons encode and process information. It was an early lesson in how technological advances can compel universities to rethink how they educate future scientists and conduct research.

Since then, my career has focused on bringing emerging technologies into practical use. At MATTER and the Kaplan Institute at Illinois Tech, I coached entrepreneurs on their go-to-market strategy. At Machinify, I helped bring AI solutions to healthcare payers. These experiences taught me that bringing technology to market is fundamentally a human challenge. Successful adoption requires understanding people's needs, motivations, and priorities, and designing solutions and implementation strategies around them. That's what drew me to Booth. Our faculty's expertise in decision-making, organizational change, and incentives gives us a unique opportunity not just to understand how AI is transforming organizations, but to help shape that transformation.

With the commitment of Dean Rajan and the school's leadership, we can connect the research and engagement of the Center for Applied AI with our own experience of adopting AI across Booth and the insights of alumni and industry partners leading AI transformations. Together, we have an opportunity to turn what we learn into research and practical insights that in turn can help other organizations navigate this transformation.

There is no established playbook for this transformation, and much of what we accomplish will depend on our willingness to experiment, learn, and work together. As I begin, I look forward to meeting with all of you to understand your work, your ambitions, and the challenges and opportunities you see ahead. Whether you're already experimenting with AI, curious about its possibilities, or questioning its implications, I welcome your perspective.

Maryam Saleh Incoming Executive Director Chicago Booth Center for Applied AI