Artificial intelligence now pops up everywhere, and the demand for skilled AI workers is unlikely to slow down anytime soon. The possibilities for AI seem endless, bound only by our understanding of how to use it and by our imaginations. So how can we keep up, and what are universities doing to prepare students for this brave new world?
AI as a scientific discipline goes all the way back to the 1950s, but it has recently exploded because of increased computing power, large data sets, and the desire for automation. Up until recently, computer science departments have generally housed foundational AI research and major academic programs. Because AI now permeates so many disciplines, however, we see universities creating independent AI centers that provide a wide range of academic options. For example, the University of Florida offers its students AI Across the Curriculum, which includes courses in artificial intelligence available in all 16 of its colleges. Their Artificial Intelligence Academic Initiative Center (AI2) oversees academic initiatives related to AI and data science.
As the range of degree offerings expands, students can earn a BS, MS, and even a PhD specifically in this field. Some universities offer minors in AI to complement majors in the humanities and in other nonengineering science programs that increasingly incorporate AI for computational data analysis. While most of these programs expect in-person attendance, some universities offer postgraduate degrees online.
While AI changes the world, one thing remains unchanged: who is sitting at the table, in other words, who gets to create and use AI. “Unfortunately, within the AI workforce, the digital divide between the genders has widened, as 71% of the AI-skilled workers are men and 29% are women, representing a 42 percentage point spread in the gender gap,” according to a 2024 Forbes article, “Women Make Up 29% of the AI Workforce — Here’s How To Fix It”, by Tor Constantino.
The medical field represents another area of expansion. For instance, Harvard Medical School has developed an Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) PhD track in their Department of Biomedical Informatics. AI has the potential to transform patient care, improve health equity and outcomes, and speed up the development of precision medicine.
Certificate programs also appear to be popping up everywhere, and they provide attractive options for professionals who want to add AI to their toolbox. These programs typically charge fees for six- to ten-month online curricula. Some programs offer real-time virtual instruction, so anyone interested in signing up should be sure to read the fine print. Examples of these options include an online, ten-week, professional certificate through the Artificial Intelligence Professional Program at the Stanford School of Engineering; a six-month online postgraduate program in AI and machine learning at the University of Austin’s McCombs School of Business; and multiple AI online certificates through Cornell University’s eCornell program. Some universities also offer certificate programs to their degree-seeking students to enhance their education and hirability.
How do universities prepare their students for the world of AI? At this early stage, it varies from university to university. However, three primary areas are emerging concurrently as important components of an AI education. The first, an AI foundational curriculum, includes instruction on generative AI (gen-AI), machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics. Instructors primarily teach these courses in computer science departments, but students can also access this instruction in AI-specific research labs, innovation hubs, and centers of excellence, where they can work on real-world AI projects and groundbreaking research.
The second academic area focuses on teaching the applications of AI. Depending on the availability of faculty, universities distribute these course offerings across disciplines like business, medicine, and the natural sciences.
The third area of AI education at universities involves teaching critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills, an important shift as AI takes over more and more rote work. AI is only as good as the human minds that develop it and use it. Students must be able to ask the right questions, see the full implications of an application, and translate the results to solve real-world problems.
An equally important facet of this third area consists of teaching safety and ethics around the use of AI. Ethics and policy-related courses that explore societal impacts—such as bias, privacy, fairness, transparency, and accountability—represent a critical part of the curriculum. Students need to learn how to develop AI solutions responsibly, in effect, to consider their ethical and societal implications. Social science or liberal arts departments can provide faculty to teach these courses.
AI’s impact on how faculty teach and on how students learn overarches all AI offerings. With the advent of ChatGPT, universities have had to grapple with students using AI to complete writing assignments and homework. Universities have had to develop policies around the use of this technology in the classroom and around academic integrity. A recent survey in Campus Technology found that 86% of students already use AI in their studies. Because students usually have some familiarity with it prior to entering a university, faculty need to introduce them to appropriate use of AI as early as possible. Students also use AI to enhance their college experience through university clubs and organizations that access the technology to conduct business, which helps everyone learn from and collaborate with each other.
To keep up with the ever-changing landscape of AI, universities often team up with industry to keep academic AI programs relevant, bring in real-world expertise and best practices, and solve roadblocks, like how to address the need for higher computing power. For example, Oregon State University currently partners with the software company NVIDIA as they build the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, a dynamic, team-based, transdisciplinary research and teaching facility. It will have one of the nation’s most powerful supercomputers to advance AI. Universities also recognize the importance of these industry partnerships to support valuable internship programs.
As AI continues to expand, universities sit at the forefront of efforts to prepare students for this brave new world. Through the thoughtful development of policies that embrace AI—while offering instruction in fundamentals, in ethics, applications, and the skills needed to use the technology for good purposes—universities play a critical role in developing a workforce ready to create an innovative future.
Meleah Ashford is a water resources engineer with a BS from Oregon State University and an MS from the University of California, Berkeley. She worked in industry for 30 years, for most of her career as an engineering consultant. Ashford now works as a certified Life Coach and owns Find Solid Ground Coaching, where she helps people meet goals related to financial welI-being, starting a business, and living the life they desire. She has also owned an engineering firm. After growing up in rural eastern Oregon, she now lives in the Willamette Valley. She is currently writing a book about women in STEM.
This article was originally published in AWIS Magazine. Join AWIS to access the full issue of AWIS Magazine and more member benefits.