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Key Takeaways Universities are rapidly rolling out new AI degrees, concentrations and requirements.
Professors are developing AI courses to keep up with demand, from introductory to interdisciplinary options.
The new offerings show that AI literacy is becoming a baseline expectation for graduates.
College students may boo graduation speakers who positively mention AI, but AI classrooms are overflowing. Everyone from business students to music majors now want to learn how to work with the machines that could impact their careers.
According to a recent report from the Associated Press, hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers as companies hand off more work to AI. Simultaneously, enrollment in computer science college programs has been trending down. Yet on campuses nationwide, professors say they are busier than ever. They are leading packed lectures and workshops for students across majors who want to better understand AI.
Colleges are racing to keep up with this shift in demand. They know that new graduates, no matter what they studied, are now walking into interviews where employers expect them to talk credibly about their AI skills.
One example is Faith Maeba, a 21-year-old psychology major at Virginia Commonwealth University who is entering her final year of college. Maeba’s mother encouraged her to take AI classes, and at first, she was reluctant to add to her course load. However, when she looked into graduate school, she found that AI was changing the field of psychology and that having an understanding of the technology would be useful to further her career. Maeba decided to minor in AI.
“It’s giving me an edge and standing out,” she said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Schools are adapting to AI demand
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