Artificial intelligence has infiltrated the lives of over 39 million Americans who have purchased smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo or Alexa. Within the field of AI, another trend has developed: technology that is complex and inscrutable. Kate Saenko, a professor in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Computer Science, delved into the networking behind AI machines and how the technology functions to make decisions.

An award of almost $1 million from the National Science Foundation was recently granted to Boston University College of Engineering professors Kamal Sen and Xue Han to study the cocktail party effect and eventually map out circuits in the brain that contribute to it.

Artificial personal assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa allow users to speak into their phone, their computer or even a tiny black tower and play music, make purchases or check the weather. Alexa...