Episode 23: A Partnership for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Education

In 2020, Intel and the Maricopa Community College District issued a joint press releases announcing their partnership to launch the first associate degree program in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Carlos Contreras with Intel notes a sense of urgency around this technology because of the speed at which it is being adopted by a wide variety of industry sectors. Partnerships between educational institutions and industry provide a collaborative model that is custom-built to address the speed of the transition in the region. Working together, the colleges and Intel hope to bring the U.S. workforce up to the AI skill level of countries such as South Korea, India, Singapore. In this episode, Bassam Matar from Chandler Gilbert Community College describes the design and roll-out of their AAS degree and certificate program, both of which have no prerequisites for entry and are designed to expand digital readiness for the future of work. Ultimately, says Contreras, as a company, Intel's goal "by 2030 is to reach 30 countries, 30,000 institutions and get 30 million students skilled in artificial intelligence."