Hebrew University professor bans fully AI-written answers in data science classes

Claudia Goldman holds 24 patents and has published more than 50 academic papers, a benchmark she now applies to her students at the Hebrew University Business School. Since joining the Data Science Department as an associate professor in July 2024, Goldman has implemented strict rules for artificial intelligence use in her courses.

Goldman allows students to use AI tools for brainstorming and problem-solving, but she rejects any final answer generated entirely by the technology. She tells students they must credit the AI and explain exactly how they used it. Goldman states that she can detect AI in student writing and expects them to remain critical of the output.

Students are required to check AI-generated information for bias and verify that cited sources actually exist. This process forces them to engage with the material rather than relying on automated summaries. Goldman emphasizes that the goal is to use AI to solve real-world problems while maintaining human oversight.

The professor evaluates students through a mix of classwork, presentations, and peer-organized activities. These in-person assessments allow her to verify understanding directly. The curriculum also includes discussions on human responsibility, professional values, and the role of ethics in research.

Goldman addressed the concept of reserving specific jobs for humans, a proposal associated with Bill Gates. She argued that the issue is not a simple binary choice about which professions remain human. Instead, she focuses on understanding the specific benefits AI provides in different contexts and the critical skills needed to manage those tools effectively.

The Business School currently offers courses titled AI for Social Good, Responsible AI, and When AI Meets Humans and Society. The Hebrew University also operates a Free Listener Program that allows senior citizens to audit courses. The fall semester is currently underway as these new rules take effect.

Before returning to academia, Goldman spent 15 years as a research scientist in General Motors' research and development organization in Herzliya. She also worked for three years as a team leader at Samsung Telecom Research. Her industry work included developing learning agents for vehicle user experiences to help drivers understand autonomous driving functions.

Goldman moved from Argentina to Israel in January 1984 at the age of 16. She earned her BSc in computer science, mathematics, and electronics in 1991, her MSc in computer science in 1993, and her PhD in computer science in 1999. Her doctoral supervisor was Prof. Jeff Rosenschein. She held research positions at Bar-Ilan University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Haifa between 1999 and 2005.

She met her husband, Prof. Roy Shenhar, on the stairs of the Ross Building on the Givat Ram campus in 1995. They married in 1999. Goldman's family made aliyah six months after she told her father in 1983 that the only place she saw herself growing up was Israel.