Smith Professors Make Sense of March Madness Marketing Trends and AI-Involvement in Bracket Building
Despite few upsets, the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments remain compelling, with millions tracking brackets. One perfect bracket remains. Smith professors Henry C. Boyd III and Daniel McCarthy discuss AI, marketing trends, NIL and fan behavior.
Smith’s Center for AI in Business Awarded $1M+ Federal Grant to Help Small Businesses Adopt AI
The University of Maryland’s Smith School received $1.031 million in federal funding to help Maryland small businesses adopt AI, offering tools, training and research to improve efficiency, expand access and support economic growth statewide, officials said.
Join us for a Speaker Series event featuring Dr. Ming-Hui Huang, co-presented with Roland T. Rust. A globally recognized expert in AI, service and marketing, Huang will share insights on the strategic use of AI, including her award-nominated research on “The Feeling Machine” and its implications for customer care.
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Smith Students Create AI Bot for Public Good
A student-built AI chatbot to combat food insecurity won a UMD competition and national attention. Developed for Capital Area Food Bank, it helps users find nearby resources 24/7 in multiple languages and will be implemented by its creators as interns.
Where GenAI Consumer Research is Likely Headed
Generative AI expands access to consumer research but risks biased, generic findings detached from real behavior, Roland Rust and Ming-Hui Huang say. They identify democratization, the “average trap” and model collapse as growing threats, urging human-centered methods to prevent synthetic, nonhuman results.
Merrill College, Smith School Launch ‘Business of Journalism in the Age of AI’ Webinar Series
The University of Maryland’s Merrill College of Journalism and Smith School of Business are launching a 10-part webinar series beginning March 27 focused on sustaining journalism in the age of artificial intelligence, featuring industry leaders and supported in part by JPMorganChase.
‘Artificial Intelligence and Career Empowerment’ Enrollment Surpasses 50K
In less than a year, the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has enrolled more than 50,000 learners worldwide in its free online Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Career Empowerment, launched in May 2025 to boost AI literacy and support career transitions.
Join us for the AI Speaker Series featuring Saurabh Mishra, moderated by Roland T. Rust. Mishra will introduce the concept of cognitive infrastructure — the integration of data, domain expertise, institutional memory and AI systems to improve decision-making under uncertainty. Focusing on infrastructure and real assets, he will discuss how domain-trained AI can augment human judgment, strengthen risk assessment and support better high-stakes decisions.
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The third annual AI Symposium on Design and Governance at the Robert H. Smith School of Business brings together leading business and policy experts to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping decision-making and strategy. Featuring firsthand insights from leaders building real-world AI solutions, the symposium highlights the opportunities, challenges and governance considerations involved in harnessing AI’s full potential, along with opportunities for discussion and networking.
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Smith Researcher Co Develops AdGazer, a Breakthrough for Predicting Attention to Digital Ads
AdGazer, co-developed by Michel Wedel at the University of Maryland’s Smith School, uses AI and eye-tracking data to predict ad attention. It outperforms leading vision models by analyzing ads and context to optimize placement and increase brand engagement.