Celebrity messages reduce online hate and limit its spread
Online hate spreads rapidly, yet little is known about whether preventive and scalable strategies can curb it. We conducted the largest randomized controlled trial of hate speech prevention to date: a 20-week messaging campaign on X in Nigeria targeting ethnic hate. 73,136 users who had previously engaged with hate speech were randomly assigned to receive prosocial video messages from Nigerian celebrities. The campaign reduced hate content by 2.5% to 5.5% during treatment, with about 75% of the reduction persisting over the following four months.
Prompt Adaptation as a Dynamic Complement in Generative AI Systems
As generative AI systems rapidly improve, a key question emerges: How do users keep up—and what happens if they fail to do so. Drawing on theories of dynamic capabilities and IT complements, we examine prompt adaptation—the adjustments users make to their inputs in response to evolving model behavior—as a mechanism that helps determine whether technical advances translate into realized economic value.
Business Meets Journalism: UMD Experts Tackle Local News Crisis
Smith School and Merrill College faculty joined journalists to explore innovative business models, AI tools and cross-disciplinary solutions to help local news organizations adapt to declining revenue, shrinking readership and the disruptive impact of digital platforms.
20 Faculty Teams Awarded Smith Internal Research Grants
The Smith School has awarded 2025 Smith Internal Research Grants to 20 faculty-led teams to support high-impact research in areas including AI, entrepreneurship, labor markets, corporate communication, and online learning, fostering innovation across disciplines.
Smith Faculty Receive UMD Grants for AI Research Projects
Smith School professors earned AI research seed grants from UMD’s AIM Institute. Louiqa Raschid and Eaman Jahani will use AI for public health; Lauren Rhue will explore legal limits of AI-generated content. AIM awarded 22 grants across interdisciplinary categories.
Smith School Hosts Workshop on AI and Analytics for Social Good
On May 10, 2024, the University of Maryland’s Smith School hosted the AI and Analytics for Social Good Workshop, featuring experts from leading institutions discussing the use of analytics for social impact, including misinformation, platform regulation, and educational analytics.
New Faculty Strengthen Smith’s ‘Grand Challenges’ Strategy
Balaji Padmanabhan is among the earliest professors to bring machine learning into an MBA program. Sining Song’s research explores environmental-to-fintech-related factors in supply chain sustainability. And Agustin Hurtado recently analyzed 87 million minority-borrower accounts in a study showing minority bank ownership reduces information frictions and improves credit allocations.These professors are among the nine new tenure-track faculty members and three full time professional track faculty joining the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business this fall.