Isaiah Jacobsen, 20, a University of Nebraska at Omaha junior from Hickman, Nebraska, is one of the first UNO students to dual major in artificial intelligence and computer science.
"Computer science already had so many great job outlooks," he said. "You add AI on top of it, a field that's just getting started, that has the potential to grow and create so many different industries within it, for me, at least, the possibilities are endless."
At UNO, which recently launched Nebraska's first Bachelor of Science degree in artificial intelligence, professors say AI may spook some people, but it's here to stay, and young Nebraskans should learn how to use it.
The degree program is designed to produce graduates who can design, implement and manage AI systems across a range of sectors. Graduates could expect to earn as much as $100,000 a year, the university said. Students began enrolling this fall, and courses will begin in the Spring 2025 semester.
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The technology is transformational, its applications virtually limitless, and students competent in AI will have a competitive edge in the future, professors say. Job opportunities in AI extend beyond the tech sector, said Prashanti Manda, associate professor of who will teach some of the courses.
"Everybody has the need for AI," she said.
If Amtrak wants to build an AI bot to help people find the best route or book tickets, an AI engineer could build that bot, Manda said. If Berkshire Hathaway wants to build an AI tool for people to find real estate listings that match what they're looking for, without sifting through hundreds of listings, an AI engineer could build it.
Nebraska farmers could benefit from AI as well, she said. A hot topic in agriculture is targeting pesticides where they're needed instead of "carpet bombing" the whole field. AI could use image recognition to identify the portions of a field that need chemicals. Another use would be "intelligent watering" to optimize irrigation.
AI has been around since the 1980s and 1990s, but applications like ChatGPT have given the general public a taste of what it can do.
Manda said any new technology can cause job disruptions, but people who understand it will have the edge.
"Your job is probably not going to be taken away by AI, but it might be taken away by somebody else who knows how to use AI," she said.
Victor Winter, a UNO professor who will be teaching some of the classes, said AI is developing with astonishing speed.
"The technology is evolving so quickly, it's beyond anything that people have ever seen before," Winter said. "And that makes it, in and of itself, very, very unique."
The consequences for foot-dragging are significant. A two-year delay can put a person or company a technological generation behind, he said.
"Everything else pales in comparison to how fast this stuff is advancing," Winter said.
He will be teaching students about generative AI, which enables machines to learn patterns from existing data. They will use the data to create new content, such as videos, text, images or audio.
Young people are more open to the possibilities of AI, he said. Raised with computers, they're open-minded and fearlessly explore new technologies, and many have ChatGPT or other AI apps on their phones.
Winter dismisses the idea that AI is a fad that will fade, though it does present ethical challenges. In recent years, the country has witnessed how bad actors can create fake content that misrepresents political candidates. There are practical concerns over biases, privacy and security. And there is a philosophical debate over whether AI can ever surpass human intelligence or become sentient -- though Hollywood needs no convincing.
Scientists are debating the question of whether guard rails should be set for generative AI. For instance, Winter said, should AI answer when someone asks how to make a bomb or to cook a horse?
"There is not universal agreement on what is acceptable," he said. "Horse meat is a delicacy in France and in Canada."
Martha Garcia-Murillo, dean of the UNO College of Information Science and Technology, said AI will affect everything people do, from education to entertainment, business and government operations. Everyone should have some level of competence in it, she said.
"Not being engaged is at our own peril," she said. "The less familiar we are, we are not capable of recognizing the good and the bad. We might be shutting ourselves out of the opportunity to really leverage this technology and be more competent and confident using it."
She sees the rise of AI as similar to the introduction of computers in homes and businesses almost 50 years ago. Although there was some reluctance at first, people now use computers every day for everything.
"This technology is going to have that type of effect, and the more competent you are, the better for you to therefore keep and make your job better."
Other Nebraska universities have recognized the value in AI and offered courses to students.
Creighton University recently received a $250,000 grant from Google's philanthropic arm to support efforts to integrate AI into students' learning and research.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln launched its first AI course in 1995, with teaching and research focused in its College of Engineering. That expertise is helping support the launch of UNO's AI degree program, a spokesperson said.
AI specializations are embedded in UNL engineering programs, designed to provide students with a foundation in AI. For instance, the Bachelor of Science degree in has an AI specialization. A new Bachelor of Science degree in data science includes an AI track.
Jacobsen, the UNO junior, said AI provides a technological leap forward comparable with the launch of the internet. But he said he thinks the leap will be even more revolutionary.
While some people are alarmed about doomsday predictions involving sentient computers and robot takeovers, Jacobsen said AI risks can be mitigated.
"AI is really only the data you feed it," he said. "As long as you're feeding it good, clean data, in theory, there's nothing that could go wrong, unless it makes inferences and connections between the good data and it ends up doing something bad."
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