Hilbert College is stepping boldly into the future with its newly-launched artificial intelligence program, designed to equip students and professionals with the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing workplace.
The initiative began with the recognition of a crucial gap in higher education. While AI can perform countless tasks, from analyzing spreadsheets to planning trips, the question of how and when to use it ethically and effectively remains largely unaddressed.
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“AI can do almost anything we ask, but the real challenge is knowing whether we should,” Hilbert College interim President Michael Cornell said. “It’s about judgment, leadership, and ethics … right-brain skills that are just as important as the technical, left-brain tasks AI can handle.”
The AI program at Hilbert College started with a minor and recently expanded to a full major, approved within the past month.
Students in the program will learn to apply AI across all areas of work, combining technical proficiency with ethical reasoning and leadership.
The program also partners with local businesses, providing courses to upskill employees in AI, ensuring they can integrate the technology responsibly and strategically in their organizations.
“AI isn’t an end-to-end tool,” Cornell said. “Humans are involved at the beginning, middle and end of any AI process. Our students learn how to interact with AI to enhance their work, not replace it.”
By teaching students and professionals to use AI as a collaborative tool, Hilbert College ensures graduates are prepared to meet the demands of modern workplaces and contribute meaningfully to their fields.
The college emphasizes that AI will accelerate change, but graduates who understand it will be able to lead, innovate, and create work that matters.
Students are enthusiastic about the program, eager to understand not just how AI works, but how to use it effectively. The college encourages hands-on experience and critical thinking, ensuring that graduates leave prepared to integrate AI into meaningful, real-world projects.
With faculty attuned to both market needs and emerging technologies, Hilbert College’s AI initiative represents a new model for higher education—one where students are empowered to work alongside AI, not be replaced by it, and to thrive in careers that truly matter.
