Stay up to date with free briefings on issues important to all Californians. Subscribe to CalMatters Get nonprofit news in your inbox today.

Nathan Lim, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, recently spent his summer working on an AI tool to help students evaluate their final project ideas from an ethical and social justice perspective.

She is one of many college students in California who have chosen to learn about artificial intelligence theory and its emerging applications as they prepare to join an ever-changing workforce. Simultaneously, colleges and universities across the state are working to expand and improve their AI courses and degrees to keep up with demand.

Hoping to support these efforts, Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced the first statewide partnership with a technology firm to bring AI curriculum, resources and opportunities to California’s public higher education institutions. The partnership with leading artificial intelligence software development company Nvidia will bring artificial intelligence tools to public universities first. According to the governor’s statement, the hope is to add partnerships for the California State University and University of California systems in the future. Press release.

As colleges and universities develop artificial intelligence programs, these partnerships will give students greater access to the technology used by tech companies as well as teach them how to use that technology, said Alex Stack, Newsom’s deputy communications director.

Lim is a junior studying music and computer science. concentration in AI. He sees the potential of AI in both learning to play instruments and making music more accessible.

“What if there was an AI tutor to answer questions and give feedback on the game?” Lim said. “This could enable many more people who can’t afford $50 to $100 an hour for private lessons to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Lim learned to play the violin, guitar and piano with the help of a middle school teacher and YouTube tutorials. He said his family couldn’t afford private lessons, so he was mostly self-taught. While the internet has helped him develop as a musician, he thinks artificial intelligence will drive society’s next revolution in technology.

“It almost feels like I’m not there for that, but for the creation of the internet,” Lim said. “People said, ‘Oh, I don’t want to use that.’ Now if you’re not using it, what are you doing? That’s why I feel like things will come to this point with artificial intelligence, even if it hasn’t happened yet.”

The Google Colab program that Lim used to complete homework in his data science class this quarter has a built-in artificial intelligence that will generate the necessary code for him when asked correctly.

“Learning is less about what we can remember and memorize and more about asking the right questions, because that is what artificial intelligence is,” Lim said.

Lim’s father also studied computer science at university and encouraged Lim to explore coding from a young age; The rapid growth of artificial intelligence has focused on Lim’s career path.

“Someone asked me a question about why I wanted to major in artificial intelligence in computer science,” Lim said. “I told him, ‘If I don’t do this, I feel like my job will be replaced by someone who does.’”

Developing pathways to AI careers

Many colleges and universities in California are racing to prepare students for high-paying AI engineering jobs, but the path to these careers often requires a master’s or doctoral degree. Community colleges and universities are working to lay the groundwork for students to pursue more advanced degrees and are also finding ways to engage students in AI at the undergraduate level.

In the next decade, computing and mathematics jobs, including artificial intelligence, will It is estimated to grow by 12.9 percent It is the second fastest among all industries, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In technology companies such as Meta and Google, AI related jobs We list six-figure salaries, with many reaching over $200,000 annually.

“Growth in computer and mathematics occupations is expected to be driven by demand for improved computer services, the continued development of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, and the increasing amount of data available for analysis,” the study report states.

Angel Fuentes, dean of business and workforce development at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, is pushing for public universities to promote AI literacy so that students across disciplines can understand the basic terminology, uses and ethics of AI, even if they don’t. Pursuing a technology career. He said artificial intelligence literacy is important because artificial intelligence is starting to impact many fields, from medicine to humanities and business.