What I Learned About AI at Harvard Kennedy School
A week of intensive study with world-leading faculty on AI, policy, and responsible deployment, distilled into one practical report.
In July 2025, I completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program, Leading in Artificial Intelligence: Exploring Technology and Policy. I sat alongside policy makers, government officials, and practitioners from around the world to explore how AI intersects with public policy, critical thinking, and organisational leadership.
This report captures everything I learned, the frameworks that stuck, the quotes that challenged me, and how I am applying it all to my AI training and consulting work.
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What You Will Find Inside
This is not a summary of slides. It is 18 pages of real learning, captured in my own voice, with practical applications for anyone leading AI adoption in their organisation.
- The Science of Generative AI explained in plain language, how LLMs actually work, what alignment means, and why it matters
- Critical Thinking and AI why verification is non-negotiable and how to stay constructively critical
- Context Engineering the emerging professional skill that goes beyond prompting, including the TIC framework
- Human+AI Interaction Design when humans should be in the loop, and what happens when they are not
- AI Agents what they are, how governments are using them, 
 and why you should treat them as unreliable interns
- Copyright, Misinformation, and the Future of Work the policy questions every organisation needs to consider
- AI Accuracy Thresholds by Use Case a practical table 
 mapping acceptable accuracy levels from brainstorming 
 to crisis comms
- Red Teaming Your AI Tools 10 categories to stress-test any AI assistant or bot
- Quotable Moments from Harvard Faculty the lines you will want to use in your own presentations and training
- My Personal Takeaways and Applications how I am using 
 these learnings in my AI Playbook Diploma, client workshops, 
 and GovComms.ai development
About Joanne Sweeney
Joanne Sweeney is CEO of Digital Training Institute and Public Sector Marketing Institute, and one of Ireland’s leading AI trainers and consultants. With over 25 years of digital transformation experience, she works with government agencies, professional bodies, and enterprise teams across Europe, US and Middle East.
Her signature Know It. Use It. Govern It. framework is the foundation of her CPD-accredited AI Playbook Diploma, her training workshops, and her daily AI SIX podcast, which has published over 300 episodes.
She is the author of four books including AI Playbook and a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Program in AI and Public Policy.
Want to Go Deeper?
This report gives you the insights. Here is how to turn them into capability.
AI Playbook Diploma
A CPD-accredited, 12-module professional diploma covering everything from AI fundamentals to governance. Built on the same frameworks referenced in this Harvard report. Practical, applied, and designed for professionals who need to lead AI adoption, not just understand it.
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Need AI training tailored to your team or organisation? Joanne delivers executive workshops, in-house programmes, and bespoke consulting for government agencies, professional bodies, and enterprise teams. From half-day sessions to multi-module programmes.
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18 pages of Harvard AI learnings. Practical frameworks. Quotable insights. Free.