About Us

Cynthia Breazeal is a professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, where she founded and directs the Personal Robots group at the Media Lab.  She is the MIT dean for digital learning. In this role, she leverages her experience in emerging digital technologies and business, research, and strategic initiatives to lead Open Learning’s business and research & engagement units.   She is also recognized as a pioneer of AI Literacy and is the founding Director of the MIT-wide Initiative on Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (raise.mit.edu). MIT RAISE is a research and outreach effort that advances access and inclusivity in AI education to people of all ages and backgrounds, with a focus on K12 and the workforce. She launched the Day of AI program, which has brought AI literacy education to over a million students in K-12 classrooms across 170 countries. She co-founded the consumer social robotics company, Jibo, Inc., where she served as Chief Scientist and Chief Experience Officer.

Breazeal is a pioneer of social robotics and human-robot interaction.  Her work balances technical innovation in AI and UX design with an understanding of the psychology of engagement to design personified AI technologies that promote human flourishing and personal growth.  Her recent work focuses on the theme of "living with AI" and understanding the long-term impact of social robots that can build relationships and provide personalized support as helpful companions in daily life. Her research group actively investigates social robots applied to education, pediatrics, health and wellness, and aging. As part of this mission, her group also develops design justice frameworks for human-robot interaction and inclusive AI literacy education for under-served K12 students.

Hal Abelson is Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and a fellow of IEEE. He is a winner of several major teaching awards at MIT, as well as the IEEE’s Booth Education Award, cited for his contributions to the teaching of undergraduate computer science. Abelson has a longstanding interest in using computation as a conceptual framework in teaching. He directed the first implementation of the Logo computer language for the Apple Computer, which made programming for children widely available on personal computers beginning in 1981. Together with Gerald Sussman, Abelson developed MIT’s introductory computer science subject, Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, a subject organized around the notion that a computer language is primarily a formal medium for expressing ideas about methodology, rather than just a way to get a computer to perform operations. This work, through a popular computer science textbook and video lectures, has had a worldwide impact on university computer-science education. Abelson is a founding director of the Free Software Foundation, Public Knowledge, and Creative Commons. At MIT, Abelson is co-director of MIT’s Council on Educational Technology, which oversees the Institute’s strategic educational technology planning.

Eric Klopfer is Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade at MIT.. He is the Head of the Department of Comparative Media Studies and Writing.  He is also a co-faculty advisor for MIT’s J-WEL World Education Lab. His work uses a Design-Based Research methodology to span the educational technology ecosystem, from design and development of new technologies to professional development and implementation.  Much of Klopfer’s research has focused on computer games and simulations for building understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. He is the co-author of the books “Adventures in Modeling”, “The More We Know, and the recently released “Resonant Games”, as well as the author of “Augmented Learning.” His lab has produced software (from casual mobile games to the MMO The Radix Endeavor) and platforms (including StarLogo Nova and Taleblazer) used by millions of people, both online and offline.