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‘There’s a huge market demand’: University of Utah approves new bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence

The University of Utah celebrates graduation in this photo from Thursday, May 3, 2018, taken at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The school expects to add an A.I. bachelor's degree for future students, starting in fall 2026.
Francisco Kjolseth
/
The Salt Lake Tribune
The University of Utah celebrates graduation in this photo from Thursday, May 3, 2018, taken at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The school expects to add an A.I. bachelor's degree for future students, starting in fall 2026.

“The U. has a strong history with A.I.,” said Vivek Srikumar, an associate professor in the Kahlert School of Computing.

The University of Utah will soon offer the state’s first bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence. But while the major is new, the school is no stranger to the field that has gained traction in recent years.

The U. actually taught its first course in A.I. back in 1973, said Vivek Srikumar, an associate professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah, who recently found the course listing in an archived university catalog.

The class was listed as course? No. 667, with a note that topics would include “problem solving, theorem proving, question answering, machine learning, pattern recognition, game playing, philosophical and social issues.”

Srikumar included a photo of that as part of his presentation Wednesday to the U.’s board of trustees. Members voted unanimously to approve for the new A.I. degree.

Students are expected to be able to enroll in the major by this fall, pending final signoff from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the accrediting body that oversees the U. and its programs.

Read the full article by Courtney Tanner at sltrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.