In AI-powered world, Fargo-Moorhead colleges see where technology fits in

Chris Flynn / The Forum By Ingrid Harbo Today at 4:45 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? MOORHEAD — As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly part of daily life, area colleges and universities are determining where the technology fits into higher education. Concordia College recently announced it was awarded a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which will help the school establish an AI major, among other technology and faculty professional development efforts. Concordia hopes to launch the major in fall 2027. ADVERTISEMENT Concordia joins other Fargo-Moorhead schools in developing AI as a field of study, along with figuring out how it can be used across academic programs. Scientists have studied the concept of artificial intelligence — the ability for computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, like learning, problem-solving and reasoning — for decades. However, the technology has become widely used in recent years as large language model-powered chatbots, like ChatGPT, and AI image generators became accessible to members of the public. Chris Flynn / The Forum Susan Larson, provost and dean of Concordia College, said understanding AI is now an aspect of workforce readiness. The school is looking at where AI can be integrated into the curriculum for all students, she said. “It’s not going to be deeply embedded in every single thing that we offer at the college,” Larson said. “But all students will probably have some introduction to what kind of skills they’re going to get using AI and how AI is going to help them as they go into the workplace.” The school’s planned AI major will be for a subset of students who see the industry as a path for their future, Larson said. Along with helping to stand up the AI major, the $3 million grant will help pay for some technology and equipment updates in the sciences and a new faculty development effort focused on technology. Student interest high North Dakota State University began offering an AI major this fall. Previously, it offered an AI minor, which proved popular with computer science students, according to professor Anne Denton. ADVERTISEMENT “There is no question that there is a huge interest by students in AI credentials and AI knowledge,” Denton said. Chris Flynn / The Forum NDSU’s AI major includes the background students need in math and computer programming, along with the history of AI and AI ethics. Students also learn about the shortcomings of AI, such as when a large language model gives a wrong answer or reflects biases in the data it is fed, according to Shawn Merrill, assistant professor of practice. “That’s one of the things that I try to make a big deal about when I’m teaching the courses for AI, is that AI students who have a good understanding of AI can guess where it is likely to fail,” Merrill said. The term “AI” is a marketing term, with a constantly changing meaning, Merrill said. Between 2012, when Merrill completed his undergraduate degree specializing in AI, to today, the field has shifted focus from topics like data mining and machine learning to the large language models that are common today. “AI is sort of a moving goalpost,” Merrill said. Chris Flynn / The Forum Preparing students for the workforce Minnesota State Moorhead has an effort to bring AI into fields of study across the university. In spring 2025, the school launched the Institute of Applied Artificial Intelligence. The institute is focused on deploying AI in the school’s academic programs and technologies students use, according to Founding Executive Director Josh Riedy. Riedy, who described himself as an internal consultant on AI, said the institute has created an AI literacy framework for academic programs. ADVERTISEMENT “We’re deploying that framework across our academic programs over the course of the next two and a half years, so that every academic program will have an AI signature, which is really what graduates can expect from the real world in terms of how AI is used,” Riedy said The school works with external partners to give students workforce experience with AI, Riedy said. The institute also seeks to be a leader in AI expertise around the region, he added. Starting in fall 2027, MSUM will offer a master’s degree in AI. It will also focus on applied AI, according to professor Juan Cabanela, aimed at people who need to up their skills in AI. “You know, they were prepared for being a programmer in their workforce, and now all of a sudden their company is asking them to do AI stuff,” Cabanela said. “If they even graduated five years ago, they may not have had a lot of AI in their background or training.” The program is designed to take one year if pursued full time, Cabanela said. While Cabanela teaches and uses AI, he did express some concern about its place in higher education. In the next few years, students will enter higher education who have constantly had access to AI. That access will change their thought processes, which educators at all levels will need to adjust to. “This technology is, if we’re not careful, it’s going to wreck how we learn,” Cabanela said. ADVERTISEMENT Moorhead Judge will read verdict next week in trial for man accused of killing Moorhead teen Isaac Arndt is accused in the stabbing death of 14-year-old Jaelyn Walker in 2024. Last week, attorneys submitted written closing arguments to the court after a nearly two-week-long bench trial. 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