Humanity in AI

Turning complex analytics research into a compelling three-minute story, Marialena Bevilacqua, a Ph.D. in Analytics candidate at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, won the top prize at the Shaheen Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. 

The competition, hosted by Notre Dame’s Graduate School and the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development Graduate Career Services, helps graduate students sharpen their ability to explain their research to a broad audience in just three minutes. 

Bevilacqua’s presentation won over a field of 11 other graduate student finalists from the Colleges of Arts & Letters, Engineering, Science, Mendoza College of Business and the Keough School of Global Affairs. The final round of the Shaheen 3MT competition, now in its 10th year at Notre Dame, took place on February 25 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. 

“We launched our Ph.D. in Analytics program in 2021 with a clear purpose: to develop scholars who contribute to academic knowledge and address societal needs through rigorous research rooted in deep inquiry that considers the ethical dimension of data and its use,” said Ahmed Abbasi, the Joe and Jane Giovanini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, and director of the Ph.D. in Analytics program. “Marialena is a shining example of that vision.” 

Bevilacqua’s paper presented for 3MT, “Keeping the Human in Humanitarian: The Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Donations to Humanitarian Organizations,” examines how private donors respond to humanitarian organizations’ use of artificial intelligence in decision making. The research found that donors consistently preferred human decision makers over AI, especially when AI operated autonomously. The findings highlighted the importance of aligning AI adoption with donor expectations to maintain trust and financial support. 

The research was co-authored by Notre Dame professors Cameron Kormylo, assistant professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, and Alfonso Pedraza-Martinez, Greg and Patty Fox Collegiate Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations and director of Mendoza’s Humanitarian Operations Lab (HOPE). 

Bevilacqua studies how artificial intelligence shapes human moral decision-making using experimental methods. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in statistics from the College of the Holy Cross, and a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Georgetown University. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she worked as a brand operations analyst and manager at e-commerce startup Thrasio, earning the company’s “Rookie of the Year” award. 

She serves as a research assistant at  HOPE Lab, which is dedicated to building and disseminating actionable knowledge through research into humanitarian operations management. Reflecting her focus on the ethical implications of data and the ways we use it, Bevilacqua is also one of two Mendoza doctoral students who are supported in part by the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL). 

“Marialena’s success reflects the heart of Mendoza’s mission: to develop scholars whose work both advances knowledge and contributes to human flourishing,” said Martijn Cremers, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. “I congratulate her on this achievement and look forward to the contributions she and her fellow doctoral students will continue to make!”