Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology made leaps and bounds in 2024. OpenAI rocked the tech industry and generated billions of dollars in revenue while AI rapidly changed how people do their jobs.
Boise State University noticed the technology’s increasing popularity and set plans in motion to roll out a Bachelor’s degree in AI.
“What we’re seeing in industry, doesn’t matter what field you’re going into, [is] artificial intelligence is going to have a bigger presence,” BSU Provost John Buckwalter told students at an Associated Students of BSU meeting on Dec. 2, 2024.
“I expect by next fall, we’ll actually have a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence,” said Buckwalter.
BSU Faculty leading the effort to create the degree were more reserved than Buckwalter in regards to the possible degree when the Arbiter reached out for comment. Requesting to make their statements later in 2025, faculty members await the state Board of Education’s decision on approving the degree on Feb 19.
It is unclear how the state legislature will regard the degree. The 2024 artificial intelligence working group, co-chaired by Sen. Kelly Anthon and Rep. Jeff Ehlers doesn’t share any members with the Board of Education, but it’s helping develop the state’s approach to legislating AI.
The Idaho Legislature’s AI Working Group met twice in 2024, first on Nov. 15, 2024 and second on Dec. 17, 2024. According to the Idaho State Legislature website, the working group is charged with recommending potential state-level AI policies.
Chris Ritter, the director of scientific computing and AI at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), spoke to legislators at the November meeting. He gave a presentation detailing how INL has used AI in nuclear research and provided an overview of the tremendous energy required to operate AI data centers.
Senator Kevin Cook (R) asked Ritter how Idaho should move forward with AI. Ritter advised looking to the education system to help Idaho continue to integrate AI.
“If we overregulate, we could be in a situation where we prevent [Research and Development] applications,” said Ritter.
At the December meeting the first presenter, Jim Berg, came with no description on the agenda. Ehlers introduced Berg as a “retired technologist with years of experience on the leading edge of AI.”
After giving a general overview of the advancement and modern effectiveness of AI, Berg spoke about AI ethics and eventually recommended AI be given a “biblical worldview” in regards to mandating ethical parameters.
“As [the working group] moves forward in this decision-making, you have a very difficult task,” Berg said.
“When you understand what you want your rules to be, my prayer is that it would be the Bible, but once you know what that looks like, you have to measure it and ask AI questions to see how it’s being used in the environment it’s in,” Berg said.
Berg did not explain how mandating biblical ethics might interact with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and its protection of freedom of religion.
Ultimately, the decision is up to the officials on the Board of Education whether Boise State will be allowed to introduce an AI degree, and if so, how the university will do so.
Boise State wouldn’t be the first to roll out an AI program.
According to MastersInAI.org, a website created by the D.C. based project Degree Prospects, 80 schools in the U.S. offer Bachelor’s degrees or degree emphases in AI and AI-adjacent topics like machine learning and neural computation. However, few of the institutions on the list have a genuine bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence.
The State Board of Education will hold a formal vote to approve the degree on Feb. 19 in a meeting on the BSU campus.
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The GOPs official policy is to end public funding of education past 12th grade. What AI degree?
Bachelor’s degree in AI?? Seems to me anyone who does this program is going to pass every test given. They may even pass in 1/2 the time required. AI will do the work for them:)