Northeastern University’s second annual staff and faculty Love Data Week took place February 9–13, 2026, building on the program’s inaugural success with remarkable growth. Love Data Week is a global celebration held annually during the week of Valentine’s Day, bringing together data enthusiasts and learners at institutions worldwide to showcase data in all its forms.
This year, the Data & AI Literacy Program expanded Love Data Week significantly, offering 38 sessions, a 73% increase from 2025’s 22 sessions. The growth reflected both a enthusiastic community response and the program’s evolution to encompass AI literacy alongside data literacy.
Sessions
Thirty-eight sessions were delivered by presenters from across the university community, with formats ranging from demonstrations and presentations to hands-on workshops and case studies. The week opened with a 60-minute keynote delivered by Ben Jones, CEO & Co-Founder of Data Literacy, Inc. His keynote, “Building Data & AI Literacy,” which drew 69 attendees, emphasized that AI literacy is now one of the fastest-growing skills in the workforce and that organizations cannot successfully adopt AI without strong data literacy foundations.
Based on attendance figures, two themes stood out as particularly popular. Sessions helping staff and faculty navigate Northeastern’s data resources drew the highest average attendance at 39 participants per session. AI and emerging technologies sessions were also well attended, averaging 34 attendees per session and reflecting growing campus interest in understanding and applying AI tools responsibly.
Attendance
Staff and faculty engagement with data and AI learning reached new heights in 2026:
· 224 unique participants attended sessions, a 31% increase from 2025.
• Attendees collectively participated in 780 total sessions, spending a combined 524 hours engaging with data and AI concepts. This represents a 55% increase over 2025.
• The typical attendee participated in 2 sessions and spent 84 minutes at Love Data Week, up 11% from 2025.
Looking Ahead
The Data & AI Literacy Program extends heartfelt thanks to all presenters and participants who made Love Data Week 2026 such a tremendous success. The enthusiasm and engagement this year confirm that Love Data Week has become an essential annual tradition at Northeastern, one that celebrates our community’s commitment to data literacy, AI literacy, and evidence-informed decision-making across every corner of campus.
Recordings of virtual sessions will be available shortly on the Data & AI Literacy SharePoint site