A Michigan university is believed to be the first in the US to enrol artificial intelligence students onto its classes.
Students at Ferris State University will be sharing a classroom with Ann and Fry, two AI students developed by the university, this semester starting in spring.
The AI students won’t have a physical, robotic form but will be attending classes virtually.
Ferris State associate professor Kasey Thompson said the two virtual students will tune in to lectures, interact in hybrid classes, and complete assignments.
They will also be able to pick their own classes, elect majors, and work towards earning their undergraduate degrees should they choose to do so.
Thompson told MLive: “Like any student, our hope is that they continue their educational experience all the way up as far as they can go, through their PhD.
“But we are literally learning as we go, and we’re allowing the two AI students to pick the courses that they’re going to take.
“We’re in general courses at this point but, hopefully, they will complete their undergraduate degree and even graduate degrees and even further than that.”
The project is a way to help the faculty learn how to make education more accessible to all and better understand students who take the “non-traditional” route or opt for remote learning.
FSU’s AI program is one of three available in the country, according to the university. The program was developed in partnership with the US Department of Defence National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and Amazon Web Services.
Molly Cooper, a Ferris State professor and scholar of information security, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, told MLive the technology will “strengthen our ability to lead.
“The more we use artificial intelligence, we can see what it is capable of and how we can use it to do things more efficiently and effectively," she added.
