The new UW-Stevens Point artificial intelligence program seeks to mix skills in programming with the knowledge of the technical and ethical aspects of AI development.
While artificial intelligence continues to redefine industries and daily life, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point seeks to take the next step towards the preparation of students with an evolving workforce.
With the launch of Baccalaureate in science in artificial intelligence (AI) This fall, the program seeks to mix the teaching of technical programming with an ethical conscience and a practical application of AI. The program will prepare graduates to prosper in a rapid and evolving field, where AI is not only a technology, but a transformer tool that reshapes, manufacturing health care.
“It is a new undergraduate program in computer science, so there is a lot of overlap with our existing IT information systems (CIS) Program, but we then offer entirely new courses in AI, “said Professor Associate Tomi Heimonen.” We cover everything, deep networks and AI neural networks for safety and treatment of natural language. “”
The courses will present to students with fundamental and emerging areas within AI, such as automatic learning, cloud environments and cybersecurity led by AI. A strong emphasis on practical learning will guarantee that theory is based on a real application. A Capstone final course will challenge students to build functional AI systems for local organizations.
The program leaders are already joining with partners from the Wisconsin center for these projects. A launch this fall will imply a chatbot built by students designed to help the customer support team of a local agency to access quickly and precisely to access information from the internal policy.
“I think the brand brand of all our courses is that it is not only the theory,” said Heimonen. “There is a fairly heavy inscription in all.”
In addition to the AI specific courses, students will take courses in data analysis, programming and mathematics.
Although artificial intelligence is often poorly understood, the program aims to anchor students in a practical, ethical and realistic understanding of what is and is not.
“We do not build terminators,” said Heimonen. “AI is systems that try to imitate human intelligence by taking data, learning from them, then recommending actions or producing results according to this data.”
These systems already influence daily life, whether Netflix recommending your next issue, your bank reporting a suspicious transaction or a catpt helping to write an email.
In the meantime, AI should become even more integrated into daily systems, such as more intelligent and more effective supply chains, advanced health diagnostics or manufacturing, which is widespread in the central region of Wisconsin.
The decision to launch the AI program came in response to both institutional management and market demand. Supported by state labor development funds, the ministry has taken the opportunity to become a potential leader in AI education among regional universities.
“There is certainly a gap between the number of professionals trained and what the workforce needs,” noted Heimonen. He adds that the UWSP has seen a chance to be one of the rare institutions of the state training student specifically to work with AI straight out of their first cycle and deliver talents to the needs of Wisconsin employers.
One of the determining characteristics of the program is its attention to the ethical implications for AI development. The courses will focus on responsible use, social responsibility and the need for human surveillance.
“There must be railing,” said Heimonen. “If we want to trust the AI to make decisions, we must make sure that these decisions are accurate, fair and transmitted in a way that can be explained to the user.”
Students will be challenged to critically assess whether AI is the right solution for a given problem and ask difficult questions about biases, abuses and involuntary consequences.
Regarding career preparation, AI is well placed for students for roles such as software developers, computer systems and information managers and IT systems analysts. Although the “AI developer” is not yet a common job, employers are increasingly looking for candidates who include AI tools and methodologies.
Graduates will leave with solid knowledge of ethics, technical mastery and the ability to communicate complex AI systems to a technical and non -technical audience.
“This is a step in the unknown, but now having a real AI program is something that is enthusiastic about us,” said Heimonen.
For more information, visit Uwsp.edu/programs/degree/artificial-intelligence.
Written by Uw-Stevens Point
Link to the original story: https://www.uwsp.edu/news/artificial-intelligence-ndergraduate-program/