AI Education That’s Ahead of the Curve

UB introduces AI themed majors and minors

computer code over graduates.

As students across the country seek an education that will prepare them for a future shaped by AI, UB has stepped up to meet that demand with a new department and seven new interdisciplinary AI degrees—the first of their kind in the nation.

Launched in fall 2025, the degree programs combine AI with academic disciplines such as logic, communication and economics. They’re supported by $5 million in state funding awarded by Gov. Kathy Hochul to establish the Department of AI and Society (AIS), dedicated to harnessing artificial intelligence for the public good.

These offerings train students to apply AI tools to their respective disciplines, while also providing a deep understanding of the technology’s historical context and societal implications.

“We recognize that AI systems cannot benefit society without an AI workforce that understands society.” ~Atri Rudra

“This is not just about infusing AI into other disciplines,” says Atri Rudra, the Katherine Johnson Chair in Artificial Intelligence and inaugural chair of the AIS department. “As much as AI can benefit the arts, humanities and social sciences, AI desperately needs the arts, humanities and social sciences as well. We recognize that AI systems cannot benefit society without an AI workforce that understands society.”

The seven majors, which follow an “AI + X” model, are: AI and geospatial analysis, AI and language and intercultural competence, AI and language technology, AI and logic and ontology, AI and policy analysis, AI and quantitative economics, and AI and responsible communication. The university also introduced two minors: AI ethics, and artificial intelligence, crime and society.

Vince Romeo, a first-year student from Long Island and a member of the department’s inaugural cohort of 30, is majoring in AI and policy analysis. He was drawn to the major because it combines his interest in public policy with an extensive study of AI, and he sees how profoundly artificial intelligence is shaping society.

“AI is undoubtedly the future in many different ways,” he says. “The coursework provides a heavy understanding of how AI works and how it will be a tool for different industries. I think it will be an extremely valuable degree.”

Many more students are set to join Romeo’s ranks soon, as the AIS department has admitted nearly 200 students for the fall.