Written by Alaina Wolf // Graphic by Ben Evans
Starting this fall, students will be able to take a new course discussing the topic of artificial intelligence. AI in business will be a three-hour elective credit class taught by instructor Joe Faith in the Mabee Business Building. As artificial intelligence is becoming more integrated with everyday life, the College of Business Administration is choosing not to shy away but to equip Harding students for tomorrow.
Faith, who is working on a doctorate in artificial intelligence, said he is enthusiastic about offering students a Christian worldview in business, especially in AI.
“For our students, we need to do something to help prepare them for what they are going to see in the workplace,” Faith said. “We have to figure out how to live with this. It’s the scariest and most exciting thing.”
Faith emphasized that one of the things he loves about working in the College of Business is they are always adapting and looking forward to the next step. That next step is artificial intelligence, he said. Faith explained how applying knowledge and skills with AI is inevitable in the workplace for the future, especially in business. Students who enroll in the course will be shown how to use AI as a tool and to help others.
“We create things to augment what we can do [to] make us more useful — more productive,” Faith said. “That’s what people have done all through history. This is a great tool if we know how to use it.”
Two senior accounting majors, Sei Kondo and Aurora Berryman, said they are excited for this new course offering in AI.
“Interacting with AI in business will become inevitable in the future,” Kondo said. “I believe it is important to learn AI to be able to use it safely and responsibly.”
As the two seniors have been preparing to enter the workplace for the past four years, AI has only continued to develop since their arrival at Harding.
“AI is already being implemented into people’s lives to make things easier,” Berryman said. “Businesses are using AI to provide value to consumers. Understanding how it works and, more importantly, its ethical implications will provide many advantages not only in life but also in the workplace.”
Students across campus are already showing their excitement about this course that will be added in the fall. Registration for classes for next semester opens the week of March 25.
“The course cap is at 40,” Faith said. “I hope it is full. I want people to be excited about it.”
