CAMBRIDGE — Rachel Sava, a PhD candidate in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, received the grand prize in the fourth annual Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize on July 6, 2026. Her submission was titled "Superintelligence, Superintimate."

The Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize awarded a $10,000 grand prize. Four honorable mentions each received $500 cash prizes during the ceremony. The prize, established in 2023 by Caspar Hare, is presented by the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) initiative of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, in collaboration with the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and supported by MAC3 Philanthropies.

The prize invites MIT students to identify sectors where artificial intelligence could yield the greatest net positive impact. Submissions are limited to 3,000 words. Caspar Hare, a professor of philosophy and former associate dean of SERC, hosted the live awards ceremony. Three finalists each delivered 20-minute presentations on their concepts.

Rachel Sava's concept for her winning submission was influenced by an internship at IBM, where she worked on a project with the PACE Center in London. "A mentor on the project was Kevin Brown, who had himself designed one of the earliest brain decoders — an EEG-based system he built for a colleague who had suffered a stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome," Sava said. "It was this patient population for whom the body has become an unreliable vehicle for the mind that motivated my writing about neuroprostheses some six years later." She added that research and applications are at a "watershed moment in neurotechnology."

Nikos Trichakis, the J.C. Penney Professor of Management and co-associate dean of SERC, commented on the imagination displayed in the essays. "What is most striking about these essays is the breadth of imagination they display: the students move fluidly across medicine, neurotechnology, law, ethics, and public institutions, while keeping human agency at the center," Trichakis said. Brian Hedden, a professor of philosophy and co-associate dean of SERC, also noted the range of topics covered. "This year's submissions were amazing and included essays on brain-computer interfaces, AI and religion, AI for scientific discovery, finding efficiencies in the power grid, and many more," Hedden said. "They showed the breadth and depth of thinking going on at MIT on the social and ethics impacts of technologies." Strahinja Janjusevic's submission, for example, focused on agency and ownership in neural-controlled prosthetics.

Why It Matters

The Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize annually encourages students to consider the societal implications of artificial intelligence and computing technologies. By identifying areas for positive impact and exploring topics like neurotechnology, the prize aims to integrate ethical considerations into the development of future technological advancements.