Artificial intelligence will transform business even more profoundly than the internet, creating big opportunities for people with the right training, said Fresno State business professor Dr. Stephen Choi. Choi hopes to open these opportunities to more students through a new Artificial Intelligence in Business certificate program.
The program is open to all Fresno State students, regardless of their major, and to non-students taking classes through the Division of Continuing and Global Education.
“I’m telling students that a tsunami will hit you and you’ve got to be prepared,” said Choi, an associate professor in the Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences at Fresno State. “I’m recommending to every student, if you’ve got at least one slot in your schedule, take an AI class.”
Choi compares the coming AI disruption to the 1980s PC revolution and the 1990s internet revolution. Previous technical advances eliminated obsolete jobs like typists but created entirely new fields such as web design, podcasting and social media marketing. Choi forecasts that this history will repeat itself, with AI creating an initial dip in employment, followed by high growth in new AI-related jobs.
“I would say that 40% to 60% of white-collar jobs may be eliminated, freeing professionals to create new products and services,” Choi said. “If you’re a college student, you’ve got to be on the front line in learning AI and applying it to your profession. I hear from my former students that employers are already asking about AI skills in job interviews.”
While the Department of Computer Science offers valuable classes in the theory and programming of artificial intelligence, business-oriented AI classes focus on applying AI to solve business problems, especially analyzing large sets of financial data and creating new customer service platforms.
Business-oriented AI classes have been available for several years to business administration students taking the computer information systems option. The new AI in Business certificate program offers a complete introductory course to business AI. To complete the certificate, students file paperwork with the Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences and take the required 15 units (four required courses and one elective course).
“The structure of the AI certificate is that we don’t just talk about the business value of AI, we teach how to build the application, we teach how to code,” Choi said. “This is a complete package for employers showing them that they can hire a person who has this certificate and who knows how to code to solve a business problem.”
Angel Martinez, a senior majoring in business administration with an option in finance, has taken Choi’s advice to heart and is currently studying to earn the AI in Business certificate. A first-generation college student, Martinez said he may want to eventually become chief financial officer for a corporation — or perhaps go back to his hometown of Madera to start a cafe. But whatever happens in the future, Martinez believes his AI training will help him get further in his career.
“Dr. Choi made a very convincing case that many business careers might be overtaken by AI, and that I should prepare for the future,” Martinez said. “AI makes it much easier to compute analysis for financial data and perhaps predict future revenue. But I’ve learned that to get the most benefit from AI tools, you need to have both the domain knowledge of the business and also knowledge of how to program the tools.”
Martinez had never learned programming before taking AI classes, but now he has confidence in his coding skills, and he’s considering pursuing a degree in computer science in addition to his finance degree.
Choi hopes the AI certificate will not only attract more Fresno State students from different majors, but also established professionals who want to learn new skills for the new economy.
Choi will present two community workshops on artificial intelligence this semester that are available to the public. “Part I: Introduction to AI,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 27. “Part II: AI Algorithms Using Python,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Part I will cost $150 and Part II will cost $200, or participants can register for both workshops for $300 — a $50 discount. Fresno State students, faculty and staff will receive a $25 discount on one workshop registration. Both workshops will be offered in person at the University Business Center and online via Zoom. To register for the workshops, complete the registration form.
