If you’d like to master a language, learn about different cultures, and explore how AI can improve the ways we communicate, you’ve found the perfect fit. Whether you want to remove cultural bias from AI, develop sign language recognition software, optimize patient outcomes for healthcare and wellness, develop business strategies for new markets, improve translation apps, or find other ways to help people around the globe, this unique major will let you combine your interests—and put your talent to good use.
Throughout this program, you’ll study the relationship between AI and society and the basics of AI technologies, so you can understand how AI tools can be built by society, for society. Your courses will also help you learn how language works and how language data can be analyzed. You’ll specialize in a language—you can choose from American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish—as you take advanced, immersive language classes and study their related cultures. Finally, you’ll have a capstone course where you can bring together everything you’ve learned to look for solutions to real-world problems.
Your time in class is only one part of the full UB experience.
Internships, co-ops and experiential learning. Build your AI and language skills through on-campus engineering intramurals, hands-on events in health sciences settings, internships that put you in touch with the international community of Buffalo, language tutoring opportunities and other real-world experiences.
Student groups. Whether your friends are into hackathons, watching foreign films or anime, or nearly any interest you can imagine, there’s probably a club for it at UB—including groups focused on AI, global cultures and much more.
Research. At a top-level research university like UB, students can work directly with professors and even present at academic conferences.
Study abroad. Love to travel or aspire to a more immersive experience? You’ll improve your language skills and learn about other cultures—and how they use AI—when you spend a summer or semester (or more) in another country.
When you graduate with a thorough understanding of AI—plus advanced knowledge of a non-English language—you’ll have the flexibility to apply your skills in different ways.
For example, you might get a job designing chatbots for different languages and cultures, helping a Japanese firm adapt its technology for global audiences, studying historic Chinese texts with AI tools, or improving AI accessibility for Deaf communities. Specific jobs could include:
If you prefer to get an advanced degree after you graduate, you can continue your studies in various subjects, including AI, language, linguistics, education, business or health-related professions.
Given the broad range of topics, your professors will come from many departments throughout the university. In any given week, you might take classes from a world-class AI researcher, a renowned author on Francophone business culture or a Korean expert on race and ethnicity, a specialist in natural language processing, and a linguist who uses statistical computing software to analyze language data.
Our faculty have earned competitive grants, helped lead professional societies including the Linguistic Society of America, presented at conferences, and authored articles in top journals. Our AI-focused faculty have research ties all around the world and are also affiliated with UB’s multiple AI centers and institutes.
Of course, UB professors are also exceptional teachers. They’ve earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the UB Teaching Innovation Award and other honors, and are widely recognized for their commitment to students.