What are some of the major benefits of artificial intelligence, better known as AI? One interesting way of answering that question is to go directly to the source.
When asked, ChatGPT (the popular generative AI natural language processing chatbot) provided a list of 10 benefits ranging from increased efficiency and productivity to improved accuracy and cost reduction. Overall, it concluded that “AI has the potential to transform industries, improve quality of life, and solve complex global challenges. However, these benefits come with challenges and require careful management to ensure ethical and responsible use.”
This perfectly captures the energy and distinctives that Taylor University is bringing into this rapidly evolving field through a new Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning concentration available in the fall 2025 semester. The new concentration will be open to students in the Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors. It will train key skills to operate with a growth technology that has the potential to reshape many processes.
“AI is really shaking up a lot of different industries in ways that were not necessarily expected,” said Jon Denning, Chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department. “For example, there are AI tools that can generate music and artwork. We are in the midst of a real renaissance period with this technology.”
Taylor is no newcomer to the study of AI. As early as the mid-1980s, the university offered courses in artificial learning and continued offering some version of this discipline over the following decades. Today, four of our seven faculty in the department have a strong background in this field.
The AI/ML concentration includes two courses in machine learning (junior year) and two courses in research (senior year). Additional required courses include Introduction to AI, Introduction to Data Science, Data Visualization, and other CSE courses to provide a strong foundation in the field.
“We are teaching students how to be the tool builders, not just the tool users,” said Professor Stefan Brandle, one of the department’s experts in AI. “But the real distinctive is we bring more to the table for students because God and the Christian perspective is an integral part of the conversation.”
Beyond the imperative of an ethical framework for how to utilize this powerful technology, both Denning and Brandle point out how cutting-edge technologies can benefit the global church. Already, AI is helping speed up what had been the laborious process of Bible translation for more obscure world languages.
Yet many believers still tend to approach technology with a degree of trepidation. Certainly, AI has often been presented as a cautionary tale in science fiction (just ask any fan of The Matrix movies). So, what does the future hold?
“To quote Yogi Berra, ‘predictions are hard to make especially if they are about the future,” said Brandle with a laugh. “I prefer to look at AI in a different way, with a conception that was made popular by Fred Brooks, who after a career at IBM founded the computer science department at the University of North Carolina.”
“It’s intelligence amplified, with great potential to come alongside a wide range of human endeavors and make life better. What I do know is Christians need to be participants, and we at Taylor need to be training this next generation of leaders. We can’t opt out or sit on the sidelines.”