The Ohio State University is requiring every undergraduate student to develop proficiency in artificial intelligence, embedding AI education across all majors beginning with the Class of 2029.
Launched last fall, the AI Fluency initiative mandates that all incoming students complete a generative AI course and a series of workshops focused on real-world applications. The goal, university officials say, is to produce graduates who are fluent not only in their chosen field but in how AI can be responsibly applied within it.
“Through AI Fluency, Ohio State students will be ‘bilingual’—fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area,” says Ravi V. Bellamkonda, PhD, the university’s president.
The initiative comes as AI skills have become increasingly sought after in the job market. In the last decade, the number of U.S. job listings requesting AI proficiency has climbed 619%, according to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution. In the past year alone, AI-related job postings increased by 103%.
Some incoming students have already expressed enthusiasm for the practical benefits AI could offer, particularly when navigating demanding coursework in math and science. Faculty, meanwhile, have voiced hope that students learn to use the technology as a complement to critical thinking rather than as a replacement—a concern that extends well beyond campus. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 53% of U.S. adults believe AI will worsen people’s ability to think creatively.
Supporters in the private sector point to tangible productivity gains. Luis von Ahn, CEO of the language-learning platform Duolingo, told CBS News that while AI has not eliminated any full-time positions at the company, it has dramatically accelerated content production—enabling the creation of nearly 150 new courses in a single year after the company’s first 100 took more than a decade to build.
Ohio State is betting that early, structured exposure to AI will give its graduates a competitive edge. Students interviewed by CBS suggested that peers at schools without similar offerings might find themselves at a disadvantage entering the workforce.
