Tambe receives AAAI Award for AI for the Benefit of Humanity

Milind Tambe, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 AAAI Award for AI for the Benefit of Humanity. The award recognizes the positive impacts of artificial intelligence to protect, enhance, and improve human life in meaningful ways with long-lived effects.

Tambe is being recognized for his “ground-breaking applications of novel AI techniques to public safety and security, conservation, and public health, benefiting humanity on an international scale.”

“I am deeply honored for receiving the 2024 AAAI award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity,” said Tambe. “I am extremely grateful to my current and former PhD students & postdocs for all their wonderful work in AI for social impact, and  I am excited to discuss our latest work during my keynote at AAAI 2024.”

Tambe is the director of the Center for Research on Computation and Society and Teamcore Research Group on Agents and Multiagent Systems. His lab applies artificial intelligence and machine learning in a wide range of areas, including conservation efforts in Cambodia, maternal health NGOs in India, and HIV prevention in high-risk communities.

Tambe also a pioneer in using computational game theory for public safety and security. His research has helped security agencies including the US Coast Guard and the US Transportation Security Administration optimally allocate scarce security resources.

Tambe joined SEAS in 2019 following 25 years in the computer science department of the University of Southern California. He earned a master’s degree in computer science at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, in India, and Ph.D. in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Tambe will receive the award this February at the AAAI-24 Conference in Vancouver, Canada.