24 Patents and a New Classroom: AI Professor's Approach

Prof. Claudia V. Goldman holds 24 patents, a credential that underscores her two decades of experience in industry research before her current academic role. Since July 2024, she has served as an associate professor in the Data Science Department at the Hebrew University Business School in Jerusalem. Her primary objective is to leverage artificial intelligence to address tangible, real-world challenges.

Goldman’s educational philosophy centers on transparency and active engagement. In her classes, she explicitly defines when and why students may utilize AI tools. She requires learners to credit the technology and articulate their specific usage methods. Fully AI-generated responses are rejected, and students are informed that she can detect machine-written text. This approach encourages brainstorming with AI while maintaining a critical distance, such as verifying the existence of cited sources or checking for inherent bias in the information provided.

Assessment in her courses relies on a blend of in-person activities to gauge true understanding. These include classwork, presentations, and peer-organized discussions. Beyond technical skills, the curriculum incorporates conversations about human responsibility and professional values. The goal is to shape not just competent researchers, but well-rounded individuals who understand their role in a changing technological landscape.

Regarding broader industry debates, Goldman addressed Bill Gates’s proposal for a 'Human Reserved' concept, which suggests setting aside specific jobs for people. She argues the issue is not a simple binary choice about which professions remain human. Instead, she focuses on identifying the benefits AI brings to different roles and the critical skills required to strengthen human contributions in those contexts.

The Hebrew University Business School supports this educational direction through specialized courses like AI for Social Good, Responsible AI, and When AI Meets Humans and Society. The university also operates a Free Listener Program that allows senior citizens to audit courses, a service that is active as the fall semester begins.

Goldman’s professional background includes significant industry work. At General Motors’ research and development organization in Herzliya, she spent 15 years as a research scientist. Her team worked on integrating learning agents into the vehicle user experience, aiming to help drivers stay focused on the road while better understanding autonomous driving functions. Prior to that, she served as a team leader at Samsung Telecom Research in Herzliya for three years.

Her academic journey began in Argentina, where she was born. She moved to Israel with her family in January 1984 at the age of 16. After attending Mae Boyer High School in Jerusalem and serving in the army, she earned three degrees at the Hebrew University. These include a BSc in computer science, mathematics, and electronics in 1991, an MSc in computer science in 1993, and a PhD in computer science in 1999 under the supervision of Prof. Jeff Rosenschein. She has published more than 50 academic papers.

Goldman’s personal history is deeply tied to her move to Israel. Her grandparents arrived in Argentina before many relatives were killed in the Holocaust. She attended a Jewish school in Buenos Aires through seventh grade, studying in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Spanish. Her father had long desired to leave Argentina, and in 1983, Goldman told him, "The only place I can see myself growing up is Israel." The family made aliyah six months later. She met her husband, Prof. Roy Shenhar, a chemistry professor at the Hebrew University, on the Givat Ram campus in 1995. They married in 1999.