As September marks the start of the NFL regular season, this month's episode explores how data science and AI are used in professional football to make the sport more entertaining, competitive, and safe. How has the way data is used to enhance the game advanced? What is the most underutilized piece of data that could offer teams a significant advantage? How do teams balance human instinct with AI-driven analysis when making decisions in games? For aspiring sports analysts, what technical or soft skills and experiences are most important to develop? Listen to our fascinating discussion as we delve into the intersection of sports analytics and data science.

Our guest:

• Michael Lopez, Senior Director of Football Data and Analytics at the National Football League (NFL).

In July 2024, we witnessed one of the most significant internet disruptions in history when CrowdStrike released a faulty update to its security servers. This update impacted approximately 8.5 million systems, triggering outages across various sectors, including airlines, banks, stock markets, and even government emergency services. Even once activity was restored, threat actors sought to take advantage of the situation through phishing schemes and other cyberattacks. Though caused by an internal error rather than malicious intent, incidents like CrowdStrike’s outage underscore the growing importance of reliable security measures on technologies that impact daily life. On this month’s podcast, we explore the ins and outs of cybersecurity, how cyberattacks occur, and what steps you can take to protect your data.

Our guests:

• Milena Rodban, independent geopolitical risk consultant and former senior advisor at the National Risk Management Center at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
• Arun Seelagan, Senior Data Scientist at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

To celebrate HDSR’s 5th anniversary last month we hosted Vine to Mind, a symposium centered around wine and data science that featured leading experts from around the globe representing research and industry. The talks were so engaging that we decided to share some of the celebration with you at home. Today, we are joined by two of the esteemed symposium speakers, Laura Catena and Ahmed Tawakol, who help us explore the health benefits and potential drawbacks of wine. We also discuss how alcohol-related research is conducted and learn about the future of wine research. For all of this and more, stay tuned for this latest episode of the Harvard Data Science Review Podcast!

Our guests:

• Laura Catena, Managing Director of Bodega Catena Zapata, and Founder of Catena Institute of Wine.
• Ahmed Tawakol, Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

After the 2020 United States presidential election, there were widespread claims that the election was unfair, insecure, and in some instances, outright stolen. This outcry put election officials under intense scrutiny, particularly those in Secretary of State offices across the country. As we approach another presidential election season, it's crucial to address the most significant election safety concerns for the 2024 presidential, Senate, and House races. This month we delve into these issues with Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Steve Simon. How does election reporting function? How will AI influence this election? Is your vote really being counted? This is a special edition of the podcast as Secretary Simon joined us for an HDSR Conversation with Leaders piece. Stay tuned for all of this and more on the Harvard Data Science Review Podcast.

Our guest:

• Steve Simon, Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State

This month we take some time to talk in depth about what exactly generative AI is, what it can do, and what it can’t do. In this special episode, derived from a webinar titled "Future Shock: Grappling With the Generative AI Revolution," host Xiao-Li Meng collaborates with Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to tackle the topic of generative AI with the help of esteemed panelists and the three co-editors of HDSR’s Future Shock special issue, Francine Berman, Ralf Herbrich, and David Leslie. Stay tuned for all of this and more on the Harvard Data Science Review Podcast.

Our guests:

• Francine Berman, Edward P. Hamilton Distinguished Professor in Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Director of Public Interest Technology and the Stuart Rice Research Professor in the College of Information and Computer Sciences at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Ralf Herbrich, Managing Director of Hasso Plattner Institute and Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability at the Hasso Plattner Institute and University of Potsdam.
• David Leslie, Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at The Alan Turing Institute, and Professor of Ethics, Technology and Society at Queen Mary University of London.

Teaching the next generation of scholars has never been an easy task, but the recent boom of generative AI has introduced a new set of problems and opportunities for educators at all levels. This month we sit down with two experts and discuss the challenges and possibilities generative AI platforms pose for the education system. Are students becoming too reliant on technology? Will this reliance impact their critical thinking skills? How will generative AI platforms shape our students in the future? ChatGTP has raised fears of cheating on homework, but can its potential as an educational tool outweigh its risks? Stay tuned for all of this and more on the Harvard Data Science Review Podcast.

Our guests:

• Elizabeth Shulman, Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, and English teacher at Evanston Township High School
• James Zou, Associate Professor of biomedical data science and Member of Stanford AI Lab at Stanford University

As the U.S. approaches another presidential election, many of us are contemplating our beliefs, staying informed about election news, and at times, questioning the integrity of the voting polls. This month we delve into the upcoming House, Senate, and presidential elections with the help of two political polling experts. Where can we find reliable polls amidst an ocean of information? Has the rise of AI and other technologies affected the 2024 election? How are election outcomes determined? Which voter demographics might lead to surprising election results? Join us for an insightful discussion on these topics and more on the Harvard Data Science Review Podcast.

Our guests:

• Kai Chen Yeo, pollster and partner at Echelon Insights, a next-generation opinion research, analytics, and intelligence firm.
• Scott Tranter, Head of Data Science at Decision Desk HQ

The financial industry has a rich history of leveraging data for predictive purposes. From hedge funds employing regression analysis to fine-tune portfolios to individuals utilizing summary statistics in pursuit of the next groundbreaking startup, data has been a cornerstone of investment strategies for years. On today’s episode we sit down with two experts to explore how the recent surge in artificial intelligence has changed the investment game.

Our guests:

• Christina Qi, CEO of Databento, Inc.
• Victor Lo, Senior Vice President of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Fidelity Investments