Purdue University adds AI learning requirement for incoming students

Incoming classes at Purdue University will now have to learn about AI in order to graduate. The new requirement aims to give students a leg up in a workforce future that includes AI.

Many schools have struggled to implement policies that prevent the use of AI to cheat on assignments.

Purdue University’s Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts released guidance in 2023 forbidding the use of AI generated writing and steps to prevent the use of it within the program.

Now officials at Purdue University are integrating AI training into the curriculum.

Last week the Board of Trustees passed the proposal during the December meeting. The change only applies to the school’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses for now. Officials said the goal would be to take what is learned and apply it to the regional campuses.

Training will vary by major – students will learn how it can be used in their field and gain a better understanding of its benefits and limitations.

“All of our students are going to have to understand not just the nuts and bolts of AI, but really the critical thinking skills to make sense of AI,” Provost Patrick Wolfe said.

Research from MIT published in November reports about 12% of jobs in the United States could already be replaced by AI. 

President Mung Chiang said the new requirements will provide students an advantage in their careers.

“Before AI can take away all the humans’ jobs, those humans with AI skill sets will first take away the jobs of those without,” Chiang said. “And we need our Boilermaker students starting right now to be in those positions and the future positions of creating jobs.”

There would be no additional classes, instead each school and department within the university would build AI guidelines into the current curriculum.

As AI technology continues to quickly change, Wolfe said it could mean curriculum will need to be updated annually to keep up.

“I want to make sure that we stay in absolute lockstep with our evolving employer and workforce needs,” Wolfe said.

The requirement would go into effect for students starting in the fall of 2026.

Reagan Koester is the student representative on the Board of Trustees. She said she’s excited to see the university taking the step to further prepare students for success.

“AI is like the new calculator, you kind of need to make sure you know how to use it. It’s going to be a tool that is able to set you apart.”

Ohio State also recently created an AI graduation requirement for incoming students this fall. Students there will be required to take a class on AI as well as workshops to learn how to apply the technology in the real-world.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05