Austen Hunzeker
News Editor
Idaho State University has officially received approval to introduce an Artificial Intelligence Sciences bachelor’s degree through the Mathematics & Statistics and Computer Science departments.
ISU on April 13 made the announcement to launch the Artificial Intelligence Sciences degree this fall. The university’s statement said AI is one of the world’s most in-demand fields. The employment of AI professionals is projected to grow by 34% by 2034 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Although many may associate AI with computer science, many AI models consist purely of mathematics, the field that computer science came from, and statistics,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Paul Bodily. “Though AI is decades old, public interest has peaked in recent years due to the advent of Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc. The foundational models for these systems have been around for decades, but breakthroughs in the specific design and scale of these models have led to the watershed moment we’re seeing now.”
The mathematics and statistics concentration hones in on the foundational aspects of AI while the computer science concentration will focus on the technologies producing AI. Up to 80% of the degree can be completed online.
“The real opportunity is in where this program can go,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Leslie Kirby. “AI is inherently interdisciplinary, and at ISU, we’re especially excited about future tracks that connect AI with our strengths in areas like health sciences, business and engineering. That could include pathways in healthcare AI, AI engineering or domain-specific applications — giving students the ability to apply these tools in high-impact, real-world fields.”
The Idaho State Board of Education has established AI catalysts at Idaho universities that meet weekly with Idaho’s Academic Technology Program Manager Dr. Liza Long. In the fall, Long told The Bengal that one of her main concerns is how to train the next generation of experts in AI.
ISU’s AI catalyst is Professor of English Abraham Romney.
“I’ve been pretty excited about AI and have been thinking about AI for a long time and researching ways to apply it in the classroom or other areas of academic pursuit,” Romney said. “I am part of the president’s AI task force here at ISU…Despite the challenges presented by AI, and with respect to those who refused to use it or want to refuse to use it because of ethical reasons, it has so much potential to help with learning, that I think we need to be helping students understand what it is and how they can use it in ways that are beneficial rather than harmful.”
Romney continued, “I think job markets and different industries that will be leveraging this technology may ultimately make it clear that we need to help students be prepared to use it.”
Romney believes the university has done a decent job of focusing on academic freedom and allowing professors to proceed how they see fit in terms of AI use in the classroom, while simultaneously being cautious surrounding proprietary data. Although, he would like to see ISU implement a university-wide policy to aid students amid the various approaches and expectations.
“Helping instructors to make clear policies and informed determinations of when to use and when not to use AI should go a long way toward making those policies more clear for students,” he said. “I think we need to know more about what employers expect from graduates as well in terms of AI literacy.”
In Romney’s experience, he allows AI use in the classroom alongside some guidelines.
“I think that these technologies will be used in more ways than we are even imagining right now,” Romney said. “The ability to understand what they do and how to shape their outputs will be important.”