As educators, we often ask ourselves, how can we best prepare our students to take on the future? Such a question and duty present educators with the unique challenge of getting their students ready for roles that may not even exist yet or wielding technologies that could redefine the jobs we have today. Now, with the emergence of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), it has never been more important for academics to step up and train the current and future generations for AI-enabled work.
One thing is for sure: AI is here, and its impact on every sector of our state and national economies is already apparent. Data shows that over half of companies surveyed have implemented generative AI in some part of their business—whether that be to improve diagnostics for a radiology lab or to support customer service for a small business. In the few years it has been integrated into the workforce, it’s been made clear that having an AI skillset will be integral moving forward.
Such widespread use and developments in AI present us with both opportunities and challenges. If we do not equitably teach and give exposure to AI, we risk widening racial economic gaps and accelerating the loss of opportunities in underserved communities. Yet, if we get it right and democratize the education and use of AI, we could see it remove barriers to economic mobility for underserved populations and dramatically improve outcomes for Black and Brown communities in Georgia and beyond. Moreover, it could help us fill many of the concerning workforce shortages that threaten to hold the Peach State back from continued economic progress and prosperity.
As university professors, we must remember that the field of AI is continually changing. Researchers and educators alike have been working for a number of years to determine how to incorporate AI into courses and graduate degree programs. To keep up with the times and the rapid advancements in technology, professors must be both educators and researchers to adequately prepare their students for the future. Staying ahead of or on the curve will help students be well-equipped to take on the AI-enabled roles of the future.
In order to sustain quality programs at their universities, university professors must be trained very well. The national and global competition is too strong to do less. These professors must remain updated on the latest state-of-the-art developments. Otherwise, because competition is so fierce, these professors/researchers will be unable to sustain strong programs and research opportunities for their eager students. As mentioned, AI will mostly permeate every sector of our modern-day workforce. Hence, one must re-engineer oneself and equip oneself with the AI tools of such a large, rapidly changing, and growing field.
Underscoring the importance of the moment we find ourselves, I recently had the privilege of joining a panel hosted by The Atlanta Business League to discuss the topic. Moderated by Technology Association of Georgia President and CEO Larry Williams, the panel also featured Representative Dar’shun Kendrick (D-95) and Dr. Kimberly N. West, an AI expert and consultant who helps small and medium-sized businesses utilize AI to their advantage.
As the panel discussed, our state faces critical workforce shortages, leaving us with only 63 available workers per 100 job openings or a deficit of just over 100,000 workers. These shortages have the potential to slow our economic progress and growth, as new industries could be deterred by our inability to fill positions. Yet, as Dr. West explained, AI has the potential to help companies of all sizes automate tasks and fill many of these gaps while giving business owners new capacity to grow and evolve their organizations.
To support these efforts while ensuring that AI’s capabilities reach every community in our state, Clark Atlanta University is committed to preparing our students to use AI by establishing degree and graduate degree programs. Thanks to a new $2.79 million grant to be delivered over the next four years by the National Science Foundation to create an AI hub, CAU will take a leading role amongst HBCUs in leading-edge research opportunities and in democratizing AI education and, I hope, will serve as a model for others to follow.
A final takeaway from the discussion that I hope Georgia’s leaders pay close attention to is the need for balanced legislation. As Representative Kendrick, who serves on the House Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, outlined, Georgia risks stifling the innovation that could help it usher in a better future if its lawmakers over-regulate AI. To that end, I hope more of our state’s leaders follow that lead and take an educated and pragmatic approach to establishing guardrails for AI when they return to session in the coming months.
Dr. Charles Pierre is an associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at CAU, an AI researcher, a co-principal investigator at Georgia Tech’s AI4OPT, and the principal investigator of the AIHUB@CAU.
