BEAUMONT, Texas — Artificial Intelligence is changing the game in education, even at Lamar University.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a branch of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines.
"It's just everywhere. AI impacts our life dramatically," said Associate Professor for the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Dr. Yueqing Li.
AI is even making its way into the classrooms. Rajat Kumr and Kevin Lee are grad students at Lamar, getting hands-on experience with AI for a class project.
"We decided to go for a scheduling system application," Lee said.
With this app, a student can prioritize their tasks, like grocery shopping or studying for a quiz.
Kumr says all you have to do is select a date and then AI steps in.
"You have a deadline on Sunday and you know its going to take 6 hours up until the deadline to finish that work. In our app, you would set it to priority 1 if it takes 6 or more hours," Lee said. "The different priorities depending on the level of effort or time needed for the task and then based on that, the AI will be able to seek out different slots and different blocks in your schedule and make smart suggestions for you leading up to that deadline.
This is one of four projects students created in Dr. Li's class.
Another one is a translator that uses a camera and AI to read American Sign Language and translates what that sign means.
You also can write in a sentence and in return, express those words in American Sign Language.
"I just want to make sure everybody, at least our students know, to use the concept, to use AI to help us to live a better quality life," Dr. Li said.
Kumr and Lee both agree AI is perfect for college students.
The truth is, AI isn't going anywhere.
"It's just like an open world," Lee said.
Students at Lamar say it's better to embrace the trend.
"I think personally when people decide to or care less about the personal touch, of day-to-day life, I think AI will take over," Lee said.
This is the first time the industrial engineering program at Lamar has offered an AI course.