USF plans to launch Florida’s first college focused on artificial intelligence

TAMPA - Artificial intelligence is such a fast-growing field that the University of South Florida announced on Thursday it plans to launch a new college just for artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing.

USF said it will be the first in the state of Florida, and one of the few universities in the nation, to have a college that focuses on artificial intelligence.

"Any AI course that we offer in our department, it’s like full," Sudeep Sarkar, a distinguished university professor and chair of USF’s computer science and engineering department. "We had created a certificate for that specifically."

But soon, USF will offer degrees in artificial intelligence, bringing courses and programs they already offer under one roof and adding much more.

"The main reason for this is it was a perfect combination of the growth in the area with artificial intelligence and cybersecurity that led to huge demand for the talent," said Prasant Mohapatra, the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at USF. Mohapatra added that USF has enough faculty already in those areas, and the move blends with USF’s strategic vision.

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Professionals in the field say it’s coming at the right time.

"Let me say that within our company, AI is something that we wake up to every single morning," said Roger A. Grimes, a data driven defense evangelist at KnowBe4, a cybersecurity firm in Clearwater.

Grimes said they already see AI impacting cybersecurity and figure out how to deal with it.

"Our CEO is telling every employee you have to be AI knowledgeable. You know that. Hey, your job is not threatened now. But if you're not understanding how to use, how to fight some of the AI threats and stuff like that that, you know, long term, you're going to have some career issues," said Grimes. 

With Tampa Bay as an emerging tech hub, Grimes said the demand is there.

"Overall, nationwide or actually globally, it's probably we're probably short about 4 million cybersecurity people," said Grimes.

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The USF provost expects the college to boost enrollment.

"In general, after getting admitted to AAU, the number of applications has really gone up, and I’m pretty certain we will see a huge jump going forward, especially in these areas," said Mohapatra.

It gives professors like Sarkar more options for what they can teach and research, getting in tune with the evolving workforce.

"It’s a huge deal. This is really a game changer for the students, for the faculty and for the region," said Sarkar.

USF said it is in the early stages, getting feedback from students and faculty on what they’d like to see in the college. Once everything is finalized, then the college will admit students, Mohapatra said. 

As a cybersecurity expert, Grimes said he wouldn’t be surprised if more colleges soon follow suit to keep up with the times.

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