Throughout the United States, college professors are busier than ever teaching artificial intelligence — not only to computer science students, but also to those studying music, biology, and psychology. This is happening even as hiring for junior software developers slows, since AI agents now handle much of that work. At the same time, enrollment in computer science programs is declining.

Colleges are responding to student demand, but they also know that graduates in every field now face questions about their AI skills from employers. "We have to democratize it," said Peter Stone, who leads computer science at the University of Texas at Austin. He argues that everyone needs some AI literacy, just as everyone needs basic math and reading.

Universities are expanding AI education in different ways. Some are adding AI minors or entirely new AI degrees, while others require it for graduation. At Northwestern University, the number of new students majoring in computer science has begun to shrink, so the department is now teaching more learners from other fields and simplifying its requirements.

However, AI is also raising concerns. Murtaza Ali, a researcher at the University of Washington, warns that relying on AI to write program code could stop students from truly understanding basic concepts in their own fields. Even so, the pace of change is striking. As one community college coordinator explained, AI shrinks the distance between a complete beginner and an expert.