Fudan to launch 100 AI classes, open to all students

Fudan University announced on Wednesday that it will launch at least 100 AI-related courses in the fall semester, with the stated goal of accelerating the integration of scientific intelligence with all disciplines to improve AI talent development and encourage AI-driven innovation across all industries.

The AI courses will be available to all undergraduate and graduate students, and AI literacy proficiency requirements will be implemented in all majors, said the university.

"AI has been developing so fast that it is empowering all sectors, ranging from everyday life to industries, so it's natural for educational institutions to improve students' AI skills, just like what we did when the computer arrived," said Lin Wei, provost of Fudan University.

Empowering students with AI will also open up the innovation potential.

"We hope our courses will help students to develop the ability to solve problems with AI as a tool or know where to find solutions," said Lin.

The "AI-BEST" project consists of four parts: AI-Basic, AI-Essential, AI-Subject, and AI-Thematic, which focus on developing students' AI literacy at various levels, ranging from fundamental AI knowledge, ethics education, and basic coding skills to core technologies in application, scenario development, and interdisciplinary innovation.

Among the teachers, Michael Levitt, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner, will guide students in an exploration of how AI can serve science, using protein structure modeling as an example. Qiu Xipeng, the designer of Fudan's open-source large language model MOSS, will give students an in-depth journey into the frontier of AI-generated content.

The institution will also invite top scientists and industrial experts to share their knowledge and experience in curriculum creation and educational approach design.