HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (KT) – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the buzz these days, both good and bad, and Northern Kentucky University will soon offer a way for students to learn more about AI.
NKU has announced they will be adding an Artificial Intelligence Minor to their list of program offerings beginning in the fall semester of 2024.
The Highland Heights school says they are becoming the first university in the state of Kentucky, and in the region, to offer a minor in artificial intelligence. Their decision to create the new subject minor is due to the recent impacts of artificial intelligence across various occupational fields including healthcare, business and media.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March of 2024 that artificial intelligence expertise adds value to a wide variety of careers, which is why the minor is crafted to pair with nearly any major at NKU.
“Not long ago, artificial intelligence was just a branch of computer science,” said Dr. Kevin Kirby, Dean of NKU’s College of Informatics. “It’s now, above all, about communication – how we learn to work with a new kind of non-human intelligence, to get our jobs done and to make our world better.”
He pointed out, “At NKU we want students majoring in everything from nursing to business to education to consider getting an ‘AI edge’. By taking this minor, they’ll learn how AI works, how it is both promising and dangerous, but above all they will learn to use it expertly in their chosen career.”
The AI minor will be offered through the College of Informatics and will provide students with a basic foundation in computing, machine learning and prompt engineering; supplemented with courses from other NKU colleges that offer a look into the societal, ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence. To learn more about NKU’s involvement with artificial intelligence, click here.