BYU to Offer Machine Learning Majors Beginning Fall 2023 -

In a lively public debate about the dangers and opportunities of artificial intelligence, Brigham Young University has added a machine learning degree to its undergraduate catalog.

Machine learning is a subfield of AI in which computers use data to learn how to artificially mimic human behavior. This is the technology behind his ChatGPT, which BYU students will be able to major in this fall.

BYU computer science faculty and students have been doing machine learning research for some time. Professor Tony Martinez says he has been working on machine learning since he entered BYU 35 years ago. Many students are also interested in machine learning at universities.

Given the strong presence of machine learning at BYU, computer science professor David Wingate thought it was time for BYU to have its own major.

“I believe this degree will help our faculty focus and leverage their expertise for the benefit of our students,” Wingate said.

According to Martinez, the explosion in popularity of technologies like ChatGPT has brought the level of machine learning to the surface. Wingate also noted the imperative importance of understanding the application of machine learning in the workplace.

BYU students Cameron Birrell and Jonathan Chelius speak while working with other students in BYU’s Perception, Control, and Cognition Lab on Friday, June 30, 2023. BYU students will be able to major in machine learning, the technology behind ChatGPT, this fall.

“I want to better prepare my students not only for good jobs in the field of machine learning, but also for contributing to the ongoing debate in society about the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning. I have a strong desire to do so,” he said.

Martinez acknowledges the potential dangers of machine learning if left unmanaged, such as its ability to create more sophisticated fake news and take jobs from humans.

“As AI improves, it will be able to do a better job than us, and cheaper than us. At that point, it will naturally replace us,” he said. I was.

Just as technology ethics are already discussed in other computer science classes at BYU, these sorts of risks will be topics discussed in machine learning courses.

“I don’t necessarily see AI as an existential risk, partly because I feel that the future is in our hands,” Wingate said. “We can choose how this technology is deployed and how we use it.”

In the hands of BYU students, he believes AI can be used for good.

“I think the future is bright,” he said. I believe machine learning has the potential to improve many aspects of society. We believe that by training BYU students in machine learning, they can go out into the world and use their skills and talents to make the world a better place. ”