WHITEWATER, Wis. — When UW-Whitewater's seniors were freshmen, artificial intelligence was a high-tech curiosity. AI is now important enough in society to warrant a brand new degree on campus.
UW-W is launching programs to earn a bachelor's degree or master's degree in artificial intelligence starting in the fall semester.
Computer science professor Zach Oster will lead UW-Whitewater's AI discipline. He studied artificial intelligence for his master's degree in the early 2010s, but even he was caught off guard by how quickly the technology advanced in the 2020s.
"It feels like I woke up one morning and everyone was talking about ChatGPT," Oster said.
UW-W seniors Ethan Rano and Jesse Brown lead the university's cybersecurity club. They both share Oster's astonishment at AI's rapid advancement.
"When I first started, it was pretty crappy," Brown said. "Now, professors put the coding exams on paper because they've felt like AI would just take over the exams."
Oster said AI students will learn about psychology and ethics in addition to math and computer science, so they can understand the responsibility of this new technology.
"We can't always trust AI for things; we have to have our own knowledge and trust our own experiences," Oster said.
Freshman Anthony Frelas is a big believer in AI's potential. He said he uses artificial intelligence to help run his start-up digital marketing business.
"I'm actually speaking in my hometown about how local businesses can use AI in marketing," Frelas said. "I think it's going to take over a lot of things. I think it's going to transform the way people run their business."
Rano and Brown also approve of UW-Whitewater's decision to add an artificial intelligence degree.
"Whether you like it or hate it, AI is not going away, and this will better equip our graduates," Rano said.
Oster drew similarities to the dot-com boom of the mid-2000s, but believes AI will continue to maintain a place in society similar to the social media of the past start-up era.
"Some of the hype is going to go away," Oster said. "We're going to realize that AI can't do everything like some promise, but it's going to change our lives, hopefully for the better."
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