The University of Texas at Austin, one of the nation’s top computer science schools, said on Thursday that it is starting a large-scale, low-cost online Master of Science degree program in intelligence. artificial intelligence.
As the first of its kind among elite computing schools, the new program could help rapidly expand the AI workforce in the United States as tech giants like Microsoft flock in. invest billions on the field.
The university announced the initiative amid controversy over new technology powered by artificial intelligence that can create human-like works of art and text. And while some of the tech industry’s biggest companies are laying off workers after years of rapid growth, AI hiring is expected to remain strong.
University officials say they plan to train thousands of graduates in sought-after skills like machine learning, with tuition fees around $10,000, starting in spring 2024. The cost is aimed at making AI education more affordable, says the school. In contrast, Johns Hopkins University offers an online MS in artificial intelligence for more than 45,000 dollars.
“AI is now becoming an essential tool in areas beyond the reach of some tech companies,” said Adam Klivans, a professor of computer science at Texas and director of the online AI masters program. . Noting that AI professionals are in high demand in industries like biotechnology and finance, Professor Klivans said the new online degree is “something working professionals can join to learn.” ask for the expertise their company needs without having to quit.”
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Funding to develop the new master’s program came in part from the National Science Foundation. In 2020, the foundation awarded to the University of Texas a five-year grant worth $20 million establishment of AI institute in machine learning. It’s an area in which computer algorithms learn to make predictions by analyzing large data sets – such as predicting which drug formulations could best be used to treat new viruses. .
University officials said tenure-tracking faculty in computer science and related fields, such as computer engineering, will teach online master’s courses through video lectures delivered recorded, along with some interactive sessions. Faculty members participate in an interdisciplinary research program at the university known as good systemaims to develop AI tools whose potential social benefits outweigh their harms, will also participate.
The online master’s program will include advanced courses in areas such as machine learning; application of AI in healthcare; and natural language processing, helping voice assistants like Siri and Alexa understand human speech. Each course will also include formal ethics training to provide students with a framework for understanding the social implications of AI systems.
“In each class, the instructor will ask students to think about the possible benefits and harms of the technology they are using,” says Peter Stone, a professor of computer science at Texas who teaches. learn. a course on ethical robotics. “Developers of the next generation of technology, as well as users, need to have a realistic view of what the strengths and limitations of AI are.”
Those critical and creative skills may be in increasing demand. Tech companies are scrambling to develop cutting-edge chatbots and other AI tools that can generate images and text to respond to short requests — even as some researchers warn that doing rush to implement these new systems can pose risks, such as political manipulation.
The Texas program was inspired in part by the Georgia Institute of Technology, which in 2014 became the first top computer science school to start large-scale, low-cost online master’s degree in that field. Thousands of students have graduated from the program.
In 2019, the University of Texas at Austin began a large-scale online master’s degree program in computer science, followed by a similar online master’s program in data science in 2021. plus, these programs have approximately 2,800 students enrolled.
Don Fussell, dean of the computer science department, said the university plans to open applications for a new AI master’s program this June with the goal of enrolling more than 2,000 students per year. To be admitted to the online program, he said, students will not be required to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, but they will need to have expertise in a technical area such as engineering or computers. AI courses will be offered through edX, a popular learning platform that also hosts the university’s online master’s degrees in data and computer science.
With widespread layoffs at Amazon, Google and other tech companies, the online program may already have an audience: tens of thousands of unemployed tech workers looking to specialize in artificial intelligence. .
“If this layoff continues, I think we’re going to see a lot of people shift away from computer science and technology backgrounds in general to AI,” said Professor Fussell. “That’s how the field is moving.”
