NEIU adds AI major
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A sign displaying the logo of Northeastern Illinois University. Photo: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Northeastern Illinois University on Chicago's North Side just became the first public university in the state to offer an AI major.
Why it matters: Unemployment for recent grads is the highest it's been in three years, putting more pressure on universities to prepare students for a job market disrupted by AI.
Driving the news: Next Monday marks the start of NEIU's fall semester, as well as the first time students can declare AI as their major.
Plus, NEIU's student body is more racially and economically diverse than many universities in the Midwest, and the AI major could help diversify the tech field.
Zoom in: Students in the AI major will take programming and data analysis courses in the computer science program, as well as classes that delve into the ethics of AI, such as the responsible use of the technology and its effect on the public.
What they're saying: "We believe AI should serve people — not the other way around," Xiwei Wang, chair of the computer science program, said in an announcement. "Ethical reasoning, fairness and social responsibility are integrated throughout the curriculum, preparing students to develop responsible and impactful AI solutions."
By the numbers: Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) college students worry AI will make it harder to find a job, per a recent survey of 2,000 U.S. higher education students by Superhuman (formerly Grammarly).
- About 1 in 5 students say they've changed their major or concentration because of concerns about the job market.
Between the lines: Students' concerns are fair, but AI hasn't completely upended the labor market, according to a recent Stanford policy brief.
- In fact, the paper outlines how job postings for software developers have been growing faster than jobs for other occupations over the past year, despite the field's heavy reliance on AI.
Zoom out: Chicago-area private institutions allow students to declare an AI major, including Northwestern and IIT, and others offer AI as a minor, such as Loyola.
- City Colleges of Chicago announced this month that the school has added an associate applied science degree in AI.
The bottom line: It's no longer enough to know how to write helpful prompts; today's college students want to go behind the curtain of AI.