On March 5, in Classroom 309 of the 6th Teaching Building at Anhui Polytechnic University, Professor Zhao Zhuanzhe from the School of Artificial Intelligence was passionately teaching the course "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence," with undergraduate students majoring in Japanese seated in the audience.

It’s not unusual for liberal arts students to study artificial intelligence, a field traditionally associated with science and engineering, at this university. "Since 2019, we've been offering AI-related courses to students outside of their majors," Zhao said.

As the era of artificial intelligence unfolds, these courses are rapidly being integrated into universities. In Anhui, it's not just Anhui Polytechnic University; other institutions such as the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology, Anhui University, and Huainan Normal University have also introduced AI-related general education courses.

Earlier this year, under the guidance of the provincial education department, 13 universities in the province collaborated to build a comprehensive AI general education curriculum system, aiming to provide all undergraduate students with AI general education.

Looking at our province's universities, there is a consensus to actively implement the national "AI+" action strategy, promoting the deep integration of AI technology in higher education and accelerating the cultivation of high-quality, application-oriented, interdisciplinary, and innovative talents that can adapt to and lead the AI industry.

Currently, there are 44 undergraduate institutions in the province, including the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology, and Anhui University, offering 523 programs related to the field of artificial intelligence, capable of training approximately 35,000 relevant talents each year.

"We have a solid academic foundation, and building an AI general education curriculum on top of that is a natural progression," said a relevant official from the provincial education department. The goal of offering widespread, broad-spectrum AI general education courses is to help students understand the current state and development trends of AI, grasp its basic principles and methods, and correctly recognize its tool-like attributes, thereby enhancing their scientific innovation literacy. The official also stated that the education department will fully support the promotion of this curriculum across the province and nationwide, actively collaborating with leading enterprises to establish a course operation platform, and innovating a new model for joint operation among government, enterprises, and schools.

Source: Anhui Daily