Emory College of Arts and Sciences is offering a seminar for first-year students focused on understanding artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on society. The course, “College in the Age of AI,” is taught by professor Yana Bromberg, who specializes in computational biology and uses AI in her research.
Now in its second year, the class introduces students to basic concepts of machine learning and large language models. It also addresses ethical issues such as bias and fairness in algorithms. Students discuss how AI can be used to support personalized learning, maintain academic integrity, and assist with early interventions for student success.
The curriculum includes three introductory lectures on AI followed by student-led presentations. Many students use ChatGPT as a research tool for their assignments. They are encouraged to experiment with AI tools, compare responses generated by AI with their own work, and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies.
Bromberg says the course aims to help students approach AI with a clear understanding rather than anxiety about its impact on jobs. “The hope for this course is to calm the students down because there is a lot of media hype that AI will replace jobs,” Bromberg says. “We do much better with things that we know and are familiar with.”
Toward the end of the semester, she addresses concerns about job security related to AI advancements. Her message is: “Overall job loss is nearly negligible. AI won’t take your job, the people who know how to use AI will.”
Students from various backgrounds have taken part in the seminar. Avi Villareal, a dance major pursuing a dual degree at Emory and Georgia Institute of Technology in environmental engineering, said: “My biggest takeaway from the class was how AI is biased and flawed. AI is progressing rapidly right now, but most people don’t understand how it works, which will lead to a lot of misinformation being spread,” Villareal says. “I think having a good understanding of AI and how it can be used as a tool or an inhibitor of my learning process is going to have a positive impact on my college career.”
Myles Garber, a biology major planning for medical school in ophthalmology, added: “This class helped me progress in college by challenging me to think about new topics in a variety of ways and then assessing how each line of thinking competes, relative to others.”
Bromberg holds appointments in both biology and computer science at Emory University and leads research using computational methods to study DNA’s role in molecular biology.
