Research/teaching: Data scientist Sukhwa Hong infuses business analytics with AI, readying UH Hilo students for workforce

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Associate Professor of Data Science and Business Administration Sukhwa Hong’s program and course development is infused with the topic of his own research: The use of AI to enhance communication, understanding, and ethics.

Sukhwa Hong business portrait inset with College of Business and Economics building in the background, palms, lawn, red-roofed.
Sukhwa Hong is based at the UH Hilo College of Business and Economics. (File photos/UH Hilo Stories)

By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.

Sukhwa Hong, an associate professor of data science and business administration, arrived at UH Hilo in 2019 to help build the university’s data science program into a full-fledged bachelor of science degree, the first in the 10-campus UH System. The program was launched last fall.

Hong brought his interdisciplinary expertise to the job with a background in data science and business analytics and a research focus on applying artificial intelligence to address real-world challenges. Specifically he is investigating, from a business perspective, the use of AI for better communication to the public about large scale problems, for better understanding of people’s emotions, and for developing ethical and sustainable tourism. Also related are his investigations into using AI for business communication and financial sentiment analysis.

“AI is often seen as invasive or unethical, but my research focuses on using AI to enhance communication, emotional understanding, and ethical decision-making across various fields,” says Hong. “Rather than replacing human decision-making, AI should empower people, foster optimism and trust, and drive sustainable, ethical solutions. My goal is to bridge AI with human-centered applications that create meaningful societal impact.”

Designing the certificate in business analytics program

In addition to being part of the team that developed UH Hilo’s data science program, Hong also designed UH Hilo’s certificate in business analytics program and has created several courses within that discipline.

The certificate program is a good fit for Hong because business analytics play a major role in bridging business and data science; the program helps students develop data analytics skills without requiring a full data science degree. Students develop skills related to acquiring business data — both structured and unstructured data in its various forms — to find solutions to management problems. Unstructured data is where AI is very useful, ferreting out imperfect language in public databases through natural language processing or NLP to reveal trends and challenges.

“The program has been growing steadily since fall 2021, and students who complete it gain experience in business intelligence, data visualization, and AI-driven decision-making — skills that are increasingly valuable in today’s job market,” says Hong. “Many have gone on to apply these skills in tourism, finance, and sustainability analytics, fields that are critical to Hawaiʻi’s economy.”

Course design that teaches students real-world, data-driven decision making

Hong’s course designs and teaching reflect his interdisciplinary approach to his business investigations.

He teaches a course on quantitative business analysis (QBA/DATA 362), which focuses on data-driven decision-making using Excel and statistical software.

“Students are working on real-world business applications, like predicting tourism trends, optimizing supply chains, and analyzing customer sentiment from online reviews,” Hong explains. “Some are even working with local businesses to apply these concepts outside the classroom.”

Another key course is on applied business analytics (QBA/DATA 367), which builds upon the foundational skills from QBA 362.

“This course focuses on descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics, where students learn to develop optimization models, run Monte Carlo simulations, and work with data visualization techniques in Excel,” says Hong. “It also introduces basic AI applications in business decision-making, such as automated trend detection and recommendation systems, providing students with a hands-on understanding of how businesses leverage analytics for strategy and operations.”

One course Hong would like to put on everyone’s radar is on social media analytics for business (QBA/DATA 465) one of the most AI-focused courses in the business analytics program.

“It covers natural language processing (NLP), sentiment analysis, and AI-driven decision-making, showing students how businesses use AI to analyze social media trends, predict consumer behavior, and automate customer interactions,” explains Hong. “They work with real-world datasets, applying AI techniques to track sentiment, predict consumer trends, and even build chatbots for customer engagement.”

A key aspect of QBA 465 is that it’s not just for business or data science students — it’s designed to be accessible to non-computer science and non-data science majors who want to learn about AI and text analytics without needing a programming-heavy background.

“This makes it an excellent course for students in environmental science, social sciences, humanities, and communication, who might want to apply AI techniques to policy analysis, sustainability research, or media studies,” says Hong.

To expand its impact, QBA 465 will also be offered to graduate students in the tropical conservation biology and environmental science program at the 400 level, allowing those in environmental science and sustainability to apply AI-driven text analytics to climate data, conservation research, and public discourse on environmental issues.

“Additionally, we’re planning to offer QBA 465 at the 600 level in the upcoming semesters, making it accessible to graduate students who want to explore applied AI and NLP techniques in their own fields,” says Hong.

Summer program: Improving communication through AI chatbots

Each summer, Hong runs an undergraduate summer research experience program funded by the National Science Foundation. Last summer, Hong and Helen Tien, an instructor of management and a career advisor for the business college, mentored the students as they developed artificial intelligence chatbots for their fellow business students seeking academic advising or career advice.

The goal of the summer program was for the students to develop an AI-based assistant that could provide personalized advice and support to business students, assist Tien with her duties as advisor, reduce staff workloads, and answer questions related to courses, schedules, and resources.

Hong is hoping to run another summer program this year, perhaps having students build AI student advisors or AI therapist for students.

Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.

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