USC Launches $1 Billion AI Literacy Initiative

• USC has a strong track record of graduating high-achieving computer science students. But now, every student will gain better technical skills before entering the workforce.
• The initiative will fund the new School of Advanced Computing. The university has already broken ground on the new school, set to open in the spring of 2024.
• Every student will become familiar with skills in data analytics, coding, and ethics, among other topics.

The University of Southern California (USC) this month launched its largest academic initiative to prepare its students for a more "tech-intensive world of work."

USC President Carol L. Folt announced the $1 billion, 10-year "Frontiers of Computing" initiative, which will impact all 22 schools and fund a new School of Advanced Computing within the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, which opens next year.

The Frontiers of Computing's prime directive is to familiarize all students with advancements in technology, regardless of their major. The initiative will focus on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning software, improving hardware efficiency and scalability, and expanding quantum computing.

"I want every student who comes through our programs, whether they are in science, business, the humanities or the arts, to have a solid grounding in technology and the ethics of the work that they do," Folt said in the announcement.

USC anticipates that thousands more students will receive computer science degrees, all students will gain digital expertise in their field, and the university's economic value to the region will skyrocket, all due to the initiative.