Here’s what we offer and how you can be part

Research

The research goals of the AIMES Lab are:

Identify workflows and key use cases within media and communications organizations that can benefit from the careful, structured use of generative AI technologies.

Explore the uses of generative AI on social platforms, in order to anticipate emerging platform governance and ethics questions.

Examine how news media organizations and journalists may deploy AI in workflows and establish corresponding governance practices.

Leverage ongoing surveys to assess how people understand AI in media and their value preferences.

Recommendations

The AIMES Lab translates research into real-world guidance by:

Educating media and communications workers in new areas of competency such as prompt engineering and AI-powered workflows.

Advise on responsible AI adoption, with attention to ethics, governance, and institutional trust.

Produce practical toolkits and frameworks to guide AI-related decision-making and support the development of organizational policies that reflect values-driven AI use.

Engages directly with partners to evaluate AI tools and workflows based on evidence, not hype.

Teaching - JRNL 6460: AI in Media Industries

In spring 2025, Prof. Wihbey and his students participated in a new graduate seminar, “AI in Media Industries” (JRNL 6460). A parallel undergraduate course will be offered in fall 2025.

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Service learning

Through Northeastern’s Service-Learning program, the course is partnering with a variety of local NGOs to help prototype AI-related media and communications workflows and applications. Students serve as AI-media advisors to clients interested in exploring new tools and products.

Guest Lectures

The course also hosts guest lecturers from relevant industries, including from Meta’s AI policy team, Weber Shandwick Futures, Amazon, and the New York Times.

Partnerships

The course participated in a pilot program as part of a new partnership between Northeastern and leading AI company Anthropic.

Broad Focus

Areas of broader focus in the course include use cases in public relations, strategic communications, social media management, and news investigative reporting. The course integrates ethics discussions throughout the module sequence, focusing on various topics in the emerging field of responsible AI.

Learning

We stay close to the field, listening to practitioners, engaging across regions, and adjusting our understanding as technologies and contexts evolve.

Learning from the Field

Learning Across Contexts

Learning Through Collaboration

Learning in Public

01

Learning from the Field

We engage with professionals in media, communication, technology, and advocacy to understand how AI tools are being used in real-world settings.

02

Learning Through Collaboration

Our partnerships with organizations, institutions, and platforms are not one-way. They surface shared questions, and shape more relevant, grounded research.

03

Learning Across Contexts

We take a global view, paying attention to how regional, cultural, and political differences shape the use and perception of AI in media systems.

04

Learning in Public

We believe in transparency and iterative learning. By sharing early insights and participating in open dialogue, we build a feedback loop between researchers, practitioners, and the public.

Here's how you can take part

Get Involved

Reach us: j.wihbey@northeastern.edu

There are many ways to engage with AIMES—whether you're a