James Lee

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, so do learning opportunities. Students now have three classes where they can learn about AI, an increase from just one in 2022.
Accessible forms of AI took to the stage in late 2022 and quickly gained popularity, with one popular chatbot, ChatGPT, gaining over one million users in five days. On campus, students have the opportunity to create AI chatbots of their own in CSCI-3344: Artificial Intelligence. Yu Zhang is the department chair for computer science and teaches CSCI-3344. Zhang encourages her students to use AI in her class as they work to create their chatbot.
“[Using AI] definitely depends on what is the class material and what the goal of the class is,” Zhang said. “I tell students to use ChatGPT. For example, one of the projects we’re doing is to build a chatbot called Tigerbot.”
Learning about AI is not limited to computer science. In addition to CSCI-3344, there are two special topics communication classes — one dedicated to AI representation in media and one dedicated to AI exploration and research. Emma Cable, senior Spanish and communication double-major, is enrolled in the exploration class, through which Cable has come to see AI as a tool instead of a robot.
“I learned that using AI is a co-creation process. Essentially, it doesn’t really create anything of true value without a long, back-and-forth conversation with a human. It’s all about collaboration. AI isn’t an answer machine,” Cable said.
Professors have altered their course material in accordance with AI developments. Althea Delwiche, department chair for communication and professor for COMM-3325: AI, Creativity and Communication Research, taught the class last spring, but the course has adjusted to account for changes in technology. The course now spends more time covering augmented reality, hallucinations and deception.
“There were so many things coming fast and furious [last Spring], so many new tools, and I was just thinking, how are we going to keep up with this?” Delwiche said.
As with every semester, syllabi have changed with some professors adding AI policies. Delwiche indicated her recognition of the different approaches professors have to using AI in their classrooms which vary by class needs.
“I think it’s really important for students right now to respect and appreciate the range of approaches that teachers are taking,” Delwiche said. “If there’s one thing I’m 100% sure of, it’s that none of us will have exactly the same AI policy a year from now.”
As large language models like ChatGPT and Midjourney grow, so does student interest. Zhang has taught CSCI-3344 for 20 years, and she noted an increase in student popularity for the class since 2015.
“Previously, there were always computer science students taking this class because they were the ones thinking about AI,” Zhang said. “AI is very popular because people have realized that AI is a very useful tool which you really can use to change our society and to make our daily life better.”
Zhang emphasized that studying AI isn’t exclusive to computer science majors. She hopes that students from different majors, alongside those experienced with computers, enroll in her class.
“AI, with its birth, is from the soil of interdisciplinary fields,” Zhang said. “As long as you’re interested in AI, you can join this class because I want my student body to be diverse, and I want people who have different thoughts and different experiences to join the class.”