New AI degree gives students tools to engage in a tech-driven future

The burgeoning global AI job market is projected to grow at a rate of 37% through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Artificial Intelligence is being integrated into almost every sector of industry, from business, health and science to public policy.

This race to the future, however, has also given rise to widespread concerns that these technologies are being adopted with little consideration given to their broader social and human implications.

The College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University introduces a new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Human Responsibility, the first degree of its kind in the California State University system.  

Designed to meet this new world, this academic program will help students investigate not only how AI works, but when, why and whether it should be deployed. By combining a deep understanding of AI’s underlying technology with sustained scrutiny of ethics, bias and environmental impact, students in the degree program can prepare to become leaders in workplaces and a society that is increasingly driven by technology.

Unlike many existing programs nationwide that are often focused narrowly (if not exclusively) on programming, software development, or business applications, the SDSU College of Arts and Letters degree program integrates technical literacy with insights from the social sciences and humanities.

“Big questions need people with multiple perspectives, and the future of AI in our world is one of the biggest questions we face,” College of Arts and Letters Dean Todd Butler said. “In this program, we’re providing students with the multidisciplinary knowledge that will allow them to become leaders in this new technology-driven world.” 

The degree program aims to produce thinkers who can help society realize the significant benefits of AI while mitigating its potential for harm. Students will learn the foundational theory and techniques of large-language models, data management, and visual pattern recognition alongside a sustained focus on ethical, environmental, and policy questions. 

Students will study data management systems, GIS programming, and sciences through the lens of humanities, religion, and technology. Courses in sustainability and culture, and environmental politics, enhance the program.

Electives fall into three pathways and focus on: advanced technical methodologies; ethical, social, and cultural analysis; and environmental decision-making.

Developing new AI systems is often seen as an engineering task, said Rob Malouf, a computational linguist and chair of the Department of Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages. “But as AI tools become a bigger part of our lives,” Malouf said, “there is also a need for people with training in the humanities and social sciences who understand the technology and can examine it critically, considering its social, ethical, and environmental costs.”

The new degree “couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Peter Atterton, professor of philosophy. “There is no doubt that as AI’s power grows, so does the risk of being unable to control or manage its consequences. The degree’s focus on responsible stewardship equips students to guide the future of AI development thoughtfully and critically, avoiding the peril of unleashing a ‘genie’ we cannot contain.”

One area of increasing concern is AI’s effects on the environment, especially as its use spurs the expansion of electricity- and water-hungry AI data centers in communities across the country. In one of the degree’s required courses, Environmental Ethics (SUSTN 332/PHIL 332), students will explore different ways of conceptualizing human moral obligations to nature and to future generations, particularly in light of modern technological advances and social, political, and economic contexts.  

“Students in this program will gain a cross-disciplinary education that can support their understanding of the technical, social, and environmental implications of AI, as well as skills needed to consider complex tradeoffs in making decisions about AI in our rapidly changing world,” said Arielle Levine, professor and director of the sustainability program.

“We want SDSU students to be prepared for future roles that ensure responsible use of AI,” Butler said. “With grounded research and critical analysis in the sciences and humanities, graduates of this degree will take on the important tasks of tomorrow in the burgeoning field of AI.”