[1]RIVERSIDE, Calif. (BP) – The mainstream conversation over artificial intelligence (AI) may have gained steam in recent years, but it’s been a part of the curriculum at California Baptist University for well over a decade.
In the fall of 2014, CBU first provided an Intelligent Systems class that included a study of AI. Since then, the school has added both undergraduate and graduate courses that either focus on or study the connection to artificial intelligence. Those courses center on areas such as technology management, engineering and machine learning, but also branch into fields such as cognitive psychology.
At the same time CBU was venturing into the field, Dan Grissom was already teaching about AI at Azusa Pacific University. His workload and expertise in the field have only increased since he came to CBU in 2020, but he admits that the pace at which AI is growing and changing can challenge even someone with his background.
“It’s really hard to stay on top of it; it’s moving so quickly,” said Grissom, who is the department chair for Computing, Software and Data Science. “And I’m someone who is actively practicing and teaching [it].”
As an example, Grissom will teach a class this fall about leveraging AI to the fullest extent to automate software development. His preparation includes the strong consideration that the systems and concepts he is learning now may have changed greatly or even be obsolete when students enter his classroom in September.
That speed has also created an environment, though, where science fiction is truly becoming reality. Not so long ago, self-driving cars were only a concept.
[2]“Nothing seems unrealistic to me anymore,” he said. “You can throw the wildest theories out to me that I would’ve thought were crazy. But now, it’s worth talking about.”
Cedarville University approved [3] a data science and AI initiative in July 2025, describing it as “grounded in ethical reasoning and biblical principles.” It began last fall with courses in computer science, cyber operations, electrical engineering, mathematics and physics programs.
That program came after several years of collaboration among faculty. A group of professors took the initial steps in 2017, combining their knowledge of business analytics, statistics, engineering, and other fields to offer seminars and workshops on data science and machine learning.
“In a world increasingly influenced by AI and machine learning, it’s crucial that Christian students not only understand how these technologies work but also help shape their development in ways that reflect biblical values,” said Steven Gollmer, senior professor of physics and one of the initiative’s founding members. “We want our students to lead in this space with both technical excellence and ethical integrity.”
Samford University is set to launch a certificate [4] in artificial intelligence this summer that is geared toward educators. Four courses will cover “practical, ethical and mission-appropriate uses of AI in educational settings” that are designed to aid teachers in areas such as responsible AI use, research and improved decision-making.
“We are pleased to develop forward-thinking initiatives that respond directly to what our current students are seeking and to what new populations of learners may find meaningful,” said Anna McEwan, dean of the School of Education.
[5]At the same time, videos emerged this spring from college commencements of graduates booing the mention of AI. Certainly, AI has fundamentally changed the job market since today’s graduating seniors were freshmen [6], and many of those graduates blame AI [7]. But some ongoing studies, such as one from Yale University [8], are not so quick to blame AI for changing industry practices and hiring at the rate many are saying.
Grissom describes his students as “largely bullish” on AI. And even if there is some discouragement in a perceived lack of jobs for them, that isn’t really a new problem.
“We’ve always seen students who have trouble finding a job,” he said, “and then we have students who find them pretty easily. They’ve complained about it more because there is a perception that it’s harder, but it took me nine months to get a job when I graduated 15 years ago, and I had a 3.9 GPA.”
When new technologies emerge, adoption on a large scale is inevitable. There will always be drivers who prefer a set of actual keys over a fob or stick over an automatic – not bad, just different. Then again, those same people may also learn to appreciate a car that drives itself, as Grissom has with his Tesla.
There is concern over relying on AI to the point where creative skills, or even driving a car, atrophy. He is largely optimistic, though.
“I stay grounded when I look at history,” he said. “I’ve been telling my students since I started here that this time was coming. Back in the 1970s, people programmed with zeroes and ones. That was state-of-the-art until another programming function called assembly came along and made it easier. Those gave way to languages like Python and Java.
“Look at the problems people were solving in the 70s with zeroes and ones. They pale in comparison to what people are solving now. Are we going to replace jobs, or are we going to be solving bigger problems than we ever imagined? That’s an optimistic take I tend to look at.”
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