[Although the focus of this story from MLive/The Grand Rapids Press isn’t on how people will perceive and respond them, the headline captures the potential for interesting medium-as-social-actor presence as students and others encounter “AI students” (which also expands the meaning of “diversity” on campuses). The story notes that at first “the two AI students, who are named Ann and Fry, will only be able to observe the class, but the goal is for the AI students to soon be able to speak during classroom discussions and have two-way conversations with their classmates.” Similarly, “the AI students won’t have a physical, robotic form that will be walking the hallways of Ferris State – for now,” but this all forecasts a future in which humans and AI-powered robots regularly interact in the university, and of course many other, settings. –Matthew]
[Image: Credit: Steve Jessmore / Ferris State University]
Your classmate could be an AI student at this Michigan university
By Melissa Frick
January 8, 2024
BIG RAPIDS, MI – A Michigan university is believed to be the first in the country to use artificial intelligence (AI) to create virtual students that will enroll in classes and participate in lessons and assignments.
Ferris State University, which has one of just three undergraduate AI programs in the U.S., has developed two AI students who are enrolling at Ferris State as freshmen this semester and taking classes alongside human classmates.
The two AI students, who are named Ann and Fry, will participate in classes just like any other student would, listening to lectures, turning in assignments and participating in classroom discussions, said Ferris State associate professor Kasey Thompson, who is helping lead the AI experiment.
Ann and Fry will be able to pick their own classes and elect a major, eventually earning their undergraduate degree – if they choose to do so, Thompson said. Researchers are fully leaving it up to Ann and Fry to decide the course of their educational experience, she said.
“Like any student, our hope is that they continue their educational experience all the way up as far as they can go, through their PhD,” Thompson told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. “But we are literally learning as we go, and we’re allowing the two AI students to pick the courses that they’re going to take. We’re in general courses at this point, but hopefully they will complete their undergraduate degree and even graduate degrees and even further than that.”
So, what exactly is an AI student? AI technology uses computer systems to simulate human intelligence, including the ability to perform tasks, make decisions, recognize speech and analyze images, according to Ferris State.
Ann and Fry have been given their own backstories, which will be used to help them complete tasks like declaring a major, the university said in a news release. They have not been given a gender or demographic information, Thompson said.
Researchers will set up computer systems and microphones in Ann and Fry’s classrooms so they can listen to their professor’s lectures and any classroom discussions, Thompson said.
At first, Ann and Fry will only be able to observe the class, but the goal is for the AI students to soon be able to speak during classroom discussions and have two-way conversations with their classmates, Thompson said.
The AI students won’t have a physical, robotic form that will be walking the hallways of Ferris State – for now, at least. Ferris State does have roving bots, but right now researchers want to focus on the classroom experience before they think about adding any mobility to Ann and Fry, Thompson said.
While the concept of having AI students seems like something out a sci-fi movie, Thompson said this is the state of technology today. AI technology is rapidly evolving, and the field of AI has impacted every industry, from healthcare and education to marketing and logistics, according to Ferris State’s website.
“It feels so futuristic, but it’s actually, you know, now,” Thompson said. “There’s nothing necessarily futuristic about it.”
The goal of the AI student experiment is for Ferris State staff to learn what the student experience is like today, Thompson said. Higher education has evolved significantly in recent years, and more students are taking the “nontraditional” route, delaying going to college for several years or taking classes remotely.
“We actually came up with the idea to help us better understand, how do we serve the future students at Ferris State University?” Thompson said. “What does the higher educational experience look like for students who may not just be 10 feet from the professor in a traditional classroom setting? That was really sort of the impetus, what started it all.”
Researchers plan to monitor Ann and Fry’s experience daily to learn what it’s like being a student today, from the admissions and registration process, to how it feels being a freshman in a new school. Faculty and staff will then use what they’ve learned to find ways to make higher education more accessible.
Ferris State is believed to be the first in the country to enroll the two artificial intelligence students as freshmen, Thompson said.
The university’s AI program is the only bachelor of science program in Michigan and is one of three nationwide, according to the university. The program has been developed in partnership the U.S. Department of Defense, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security and Amazon Web Services.
“Ferris State is a leader in artificial intelligence education and can leverage its expertise to use the technology we teach to strengthen our ability to lead,” said Molly Cooper, a Ferris State professor and scholar of information security, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. “The more we use artificial intelligence, we can see what it is capable of and how we can use it to do things more efficiently and effectively.”
Last month, Ferris State hosted its first AI Day, where high school students were able to participate in a series of interactive exhibits and workshops including a Deepfake Lab, an AI Social Engineering Lab, autonomous vehicle racing, working with Chat GPT, and AI’s use in space and satellite cybersecurity.
Around 300 area high school students attended the Dec. 1 event at the university’s new $32 million Center for Virtual Learning, which opened this fall and houses degree programs including Information Security and Intelligence/Artificial Intelligence-Project Management and Professional Esports Production.
Thompson said she’s excited to experiment with the ways AI can impact education through the AI student project.
“We are hoping that these learnings will impact every aspect of the university, from admissions to registration, to faculty and the way they deliver their curriculum, the way they deliver their lessons to students, and also impact the way that we’re learning how students learn now, in 2024, which is very different post-COVID,” she said.
“My excitement is knowing that we’re going to learn so much more than what we’ve even conceived at this point.”
Leave a Reply