From Gonzaga to Stanford, and Back Again: Madeleine Wright on Bringing Human-Centered AI Home

Madeleine "Mads" Wright graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Economics. Today, she is a Communications Specialist at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI). Her work there led Gonzaga to invite her back to campus, where she is now helping shape how students prepare for a world with AI.

Her Work With HAI

Mads's title is Communications Specialist, which means she gets to take on work that doesn't neatly fit into one category. She helps with the website, social media, and articles, along with the annual report and other institutional projects. Right now, she is working on a rebrand, rewriting the messaging, helping with the visual redesign, and planning the rollout, including the new brand video. She also works with the development office on what resonates with different audiences and with the events team on conference planning. “I get to do all the fun things,” she says.

An Invitation Home

Her connection with HAI is what brought Mads back to Gonzaga. She has been invited to serve on the Advisory Council for the newly emerged Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology (IIAT), which is 2 years old with an ambitious mission: to “advance responsible technologies grounded in data that empower learners, communities, and industries.” Mads is excited to see the Institute focus on Gonzaga’s strengths (its Jesuit, humanistic approach) to make sure it fully serves the Gonzaga community. With her background in project management and communication, she hopes to offer a new perspective on what students need and want to be prepared for a world infused with AI. “Any project that supports the Gonzaga and Institute mission, and the student body, let’s support it,” she says.

Gonzaga’s Through Line

“Gonzaga, especially my focus in Communication Studies, instilled social justice, ethics, and a human-centered perspective in me from the core, to the point where I don’t realize how much it’s in me,” Mads says. “Any endeavor I choose has to have some sort of ethical lens.” She regularly uses that lens at Stanford and is excited to bring it to shape and support Gonzaga’s new Institute.