- Ohio State University is making AI literacy a requirement for all undergraduates starting in 2025. The university’s new “AI Fluency” initiative includes hands-on workshops and a dedicated course, aiming to equip students to use generative AI responsibly in their chosen fields.
Ohio State University is requiring all students to learn how to use AI. The university’s “AI Fluency” initiative, announced last week, aims to ensure all students graduate equipped to apply AI tools and applications in their fields.
“Through AI Fluency, Ohio State students will be “bilingual”—fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area,” Ravi V. Bellamkonda, executive vice president and provost at Ohio State, said in a statement. “Grounded with a strong sense of responsibility and possibility, we will prepare Ohio State’s students to harness the power of AI and to lead in shaping the future of their area of study.”
Starting in fall 2025, hands-on experience with AI tools will become a core expectation for every undergraduate at the college, no matter their field of study.
Students will receive an introduction to generative AI in their first few weeks of college while further training will be threaded into the university’s First Year Success Series. These workshops will aim to give students early exposure to real-world applications of AI, and a broader slate of workshops will be available throughout the academic year.
“Ohio State’s faculty have long been pioneers in exploring the transformative potential of AI, driving innovation both in research and education,” said Peter Mohler, the university’s executive vice president for research, innovation, and knowledge. “Our university is leading the way in a multidisciplinary approach to harnessing AI’s benefits, significantly shaping the future of learning and discovery.”
Colleges are changing their view on AI
Colleges have been gradually changing their approach to AI use over the last year, with many beginning to incorporate the tech into classes. College campuses have been somewhat of a flashpoint for wider tensions around AI, as the tech has sparked some tensions between students and professors.
Students were some of the early adopters of the tech after they realized tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT were capable of producing decent-quality essays in seconds. This prompted a rise in the number of students using AI to cheat on assignments, but also led to a few false accusations from professors in return.
Most U.S. colleges have been trying to define and allow for some “acceptable” use of AI among students and professors, but the guidance has sometimes struggled to keep pace with technological advances. Ohio State University’s recent initiative goes further than most colleges and makes the argument that students need to skill up in AI before entering the workforce.
Entry-level jobs, which are typically taken by recent graduates, are some of the most exposed to AI automation. Some have argued recently that we are already seeing these jobs disappear.
The university’s president, Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., said in a statement: “Ohio State has an opportunity and responsibility to prepare students to not just keep up, but lead in this workforce of the future.”
“Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we live, work, teach, and learn. In the not-so-distant future, every job, in every industry, is going to be [affected] in some way by AI,” he added.
