Building upon the strong foundation created through the Office of the Provost's Responsible Data Science (RDS) initiative (established in 2023) and many fledgling AI efforts across Pitt, the Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership (HAIL) was announced by the provost in December 2025 to serve as an academic convening point for AI and data science efforts and will facilitate collaboration across teaching, learning, and other academic operations.
Associate Vice Provost for Data Science Michael Colaresi serves as director for the hub. In this role he not only guides and coordinates University-wide work advancing Pitt as a leader in academic usage and development of AI, but also engages with other leaders across the institution—in research, operations, the health sciences, and infrastructure—to promote a unified strategic vision that ensures our whole campus community is prepared to responsibly and ethically lead today and into the future.
HAIL represents a natural progression of the early successes of RDS and leverages the accomplishments of other exciting AI efforts across the University and so will also oversee coordination of complementary expertise and experience across campuses as well as the sharing of evolving best practices. The hub will:
- Unify and strengthen existing AI- and data science-related activities across Pitt’s academic mission.
- Convene and connect researchers, practitioners, and academic units to support responsible, innovative applications of AI.
- Engage with shared governance, especially with the Senate Educational Policies Committee, the Student Admission, Aid and Affairs Committee, and the Student Government Board.
- Expand upon existing RDS work, incorporating its people, resources, and commitments while broadening the scope to reflect the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and data science.
By intentionally linking and not replacing Pitt’s diverse and highly impactful AI-related initiatives—spanning learning sciences, the humanities, and practical application in areas including business, nursing, engineering, etc.—HAIL will catalyze a research-practitioner community of practice that accelerates innovation and promotes responsible, human-centered AI. While AI efforts at Pitt have appropriately grown within domain-specific contexts, the next stage of development requires a coordinated network that allows expertise in one area to strengthen the whole.
In alignment with Pillar 2 (We will propel scholarship, creativity and innovation) and Pillar 5 (It's Possible at Pitt) of the Plan for Pitt, this new hub will advance Pitt’s academic mission, support our students, network together faculty and staff across disciplines, and contribute meaningfully to the broader societal conversation on the responsible use and development of AI.