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An array of programs and classes bridge tech and human wisdom across campus.
Dartmouth is launching and expanding a comprehensive suite of programs across its various schools, designed to empower students to effectively leverage artificial intelligence while simultaneously fostering critical and ethical engagement with the technology. These new offerings build upon Dartmouth's foundational legacy as the birthplace of AI, emphasizing a balanced approach that combines rigorous technical training with profound human insight. Provost Santiago Schnell articulated that the university's discussions extend beyond mere adoption of new tools, focusing on ensuring these technologies augment human judgment rather than supplant it. The goal is to cultivate future leaders who comprehend AI's limitations and uphold human capacities for navigating uncertainty, generating new knowledge, and assuming responsibility for truth. New educational opportunities are being introduced across diverse fields, including engineering, business, health care, and the arts and sciences.
The Thayer School of Engineering has introduced significant expansions to its AI-focused education portfolio. Students can now pursue a dedicated AI track within the Master of Engineering program and an undergraduate concentration in AI as part of the bachelor of engineering degree. Both programs immerse students in key AI topics such as machine learning, high-dimensional sensing, optimization, and reinforcement learning, providing practical experience through hands-on, project-based coursework. These new initiatives are built on the foundation of recent programs, including an online Master’s of Engineering in computer engineering, which delves into the hardware aspects of intelligent systems, and a certificate in practical machine learning. Interim Dean Douglas Van Citters emphasized that these programs teach students to pose critical questions and consider the human impact, ensuring AI serves society responsibly. Furthermore, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies actively involves its graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in cutting-edge AI research, where machine learning techniques are routinely employed to model protein folding, interpret extensive experimental datasets, and uncover complex patterns invisible to traditional analytical methods.
At the Tuck School of Business, artificial intelligence has been comprehensively integrated throughout its entire MBA curriculum. Complementing this integration, Tuck has introduced a new array of AI-focused electives. These include courses such as 'AI-Driven Analytics & Society,' 'AI for Managers,' 'NLP/Machine Learning in Finance,' 'AI for the C-Suite,' 'AI & Ethics,' and 'Digital Operations.' Tuck Dean Matthew Slaughter highlighted the school's commitment to empowering its students, faculty, and staff to utilize AI with confidence, agility, and sound judgment. He articulated that as the global landscape continues to evolve, AI will heighten the demand for the leadership capabilities that Tuck excels at developing. The Tuck Business Bridge Program, which caters to undergraduates from Dartmouth and other institutions, has also incorporated AI training. This component helps students cultivate critical thinking regarding AI and enables them to apply the technology effectively in real-world contexts, bridging a liberal arts education with practical AI expertise and an innovative mindset. Moreover, AI offerings are now a part of Tuck’s Executive Education programs.
The Geisel School of Medicine is proactively integrating AI into its medical education curriculum, beginning with first- and second-year courses. This initiative aims to prepare students for the rapidly evolving landscape of clinical practice, where AI tools are increasingly adopted to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility of patient care. The curriculum covers essential topics such as the inherent dangers of cognitive outsourcing, as well as the critical appraisal and ethical implementation of AI tools. AI is also being embedded in medical education through various innovative tools designed to improve patient care. These include an 'AI Patient Actor' platform, which provides students with simulated encounters to practice clinical skills, 'NeuroBot TA,' a retrieval-augmented teaching assistant supporting learning in neuroscience and neurology, and 'ConsultCraft,' a learning platform focused on clinical reasoning for care delivered across surgical procedures. Furthermore, Geisel is expanding its 'Master of Science in Health Data Science' program, which trains students to apply advanced analytics and AI to tackle complex real-world healthcare challenges.
For Dartmouth undergraduates, discussions about artificial intelligence commence early in their academic journey. As part of the First-Year Seminars, students engage with AI by learning to distinguish AI-generated text from their own writing and reading processes, comparing AI summaries of assigned essays with their personal interpretations, and evaluating the accuracy of these summaries, specifically identifying and articulating 'AI hallucinations.' Within the computer science and math departments, foundational courses that teach the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of machine learning are continually updated to reflect the rapid advancements in the field. Concurrently, several arts and humanities courses offer students platforms to envision novel applications for AI while critically exploring the technology's unfolding impacts, including examining inherent biases in AI models and engaging in debates concerning AI ethics. Additionally, the forthcoming 70th-anniversary celebration of the 1956 Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence will spotlight human-centered AI, featuring year-long events and initiatives designed to provide students with valuable opportunities to network with leading experts at conferences both at Dartmouth and externally.