Artificial Intelligence is the science of building machines that exhibit intelligent problem-solving behavior. Machine Learning is an approach within AI whereby machines are trained on datasets to learn their intelligent behavior. Together, these two fields of study have given us new technologies such as the facial recognition algorithm that unlocks our smartphones and the text-generation capabilities of machines like ChatGPT.
Students who pursue the minor in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (MLAI) will gain experience in understanding how these machines work and also how to build them. Students will study the mathematical principles that are critical for making these machines learn in the way they do. Students will explore a variety of important algorithms that form the core of machine learning. Students will have the opportunity to implement these algorithms to solve practical intelligence-requiring problems.
This minor is grounded in the analytical sciences. Students should be adept and comfortable with coding, with moderate to advanced mathematics, and be willing to invest the intellectual time and energy to dive deeply into this realm.
While any Denison student may pursue the MLAI minor, it is designed to most naturally complement a major in computer science, data analytics, or mathematics. There is overlap in the course requirements for those majors and the cognate requirements for this minor, thus facilitating the completion of this minor. Students in a pre-engineering program or physics might also be a good match for the minor.
