Preparing students for an AI-driven future: UMBC and COEIT featured on Maryland Public Television's State Circle

How are Maryland universities preparing students for a workforce transformed by artificial intelligence? A recent episode of Maryland Public Television’s State Circle explored how area colleges are helping students understand and apply AI while navigating its opportunities and challenges.

UMBC’s Anupam Joshi, vice provost and chief AI officer and professor of computer science and electrical engineering, emphasized the importance of preparing students to understand both the possibilities and the potential risks of AI. As the technology advances, students need more than technical skills: they also need critical thinking, sound judgment, and an understanding of how to use AI responsibly.

The segment also highlighted student research applying AI to real-world challenges, including health informatics and weather forecasting. These examples illustrate how students can use advanced computing and data-driven approaches to address complex problems across disciplines. Ph.D. students Ommo Clark, information systems, Pratik Shukla, computer science, and Marjory Pineda, human-centered computing, Master’s student Madeline Rippin, computer science, and undergraduate Elliot Gobbert, computer science, were all featured in the segment.

The discussion underscored an important principle for higher education: AI should support and enhance human intelligence, not replace the learning, judgment, and problem-solving skills students develop through their education.

Watch the segment on MPT’s State Circle (aired October 2, 2026):
https://www.pbs.org/video/friday-october-2-2026-xu3iyu/