New Minor, Major Impact

Human-Centered + Future-Focused

Ben Green, Assistant Professor of Information and Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, shares how UMSI’s new AI minor equips students to engage with artificial intelligence not just as users or designers, but as ethical thinkers, future decision-makers, and informed citizens.

Earlier this Spring, UMSI announced a new AI minor available in Fall 2025. Currently, the new minor is available to students from the School of Education, the School of Nursing, the School of Public Health, the Stamps School of Art & Design, and the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. It will focus on a human-centered approach, preparing students to understand and better utilize AI tools in their chosen fields. 

There is little argument that AI, particularly generative AI, is one of the most important emerging technologies of the future. Having the ability to transform work, study, the economy, and daily lives, many businesses and organizations are struggling to effectively leverage these powerful tools for the people they serve. 

Assistant Professor of Information and Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Ben Green, will be teaching UMSI 326 - Understanding AI: Concepts, Ethics, and Societal Impacts - one of two core courses in the new minor. He says, “The goal of this course is to give students a wide-ranging introduction to what AI is. AI is a technical tool, but it’s also much more than that: it’s shaping markets, geopolitics, media, and more. To understand the technology, it’s essential to understand the people, infrastructures, policies, and markets that support the infrastructure.” 

AI has the potential to transform the world and everyday lives, but the potential for harm is also great. The negative environmental impact, job displacement, and wide-ranging ethical issues top the list of concerns about AI. However, learning how to responsibly use this technology is vital to harnessing its full potential. “I hope the course can introduce students to thinking about AI not only as designers or users, but also as citizens and workers,” Ben says.

Instead of focusing on the technological aspects of AI, the new minor aims to focus on AI literacy, integration and implementation, ethical design, and providing students with a solid theoretical understanding of the technology. This human-centered approach will provide the background necessary to make informed, ethical, and responsible decisions about AI across a wide array of uses - from law, to business, and health care.  

Ben says the new minor will help students responsibly shape this growing technology and recognize its societal impact and ethical implications. “Although many students encounter AI as direct users, in the future, they will also encounter it in other ways, such as managers deciding whether their company should adopt AI tools or residents in a community affected by AI data centers. I’m excited to introduce students to new perspectives on AI and give them tools to make sense of how AI will affect their lives over the years to come. This course will prepare students for further coursework in the minor, including more technical hands-on work with AI tools and deeper ethical analyses of how AI is impacting society.”  

UMSI’s human-centered AI minor is open to undergraduates from any academic background. Pending approval from their home academic schools and colleges, students will be able to declare and pursue the minor starting in fall 2025. 

Learn more here