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Will.i.am wraps 1st semester of teaching at ASU
Adding to his long list of accomplishments, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am just completed his first semester as an AI professor at Arizona State University.
TEMPE, Ariz. (KTTV) - Adding to his list of incredible accomplishments, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has just completed his first semester as an AI professor at Arizona State University. His course, "Agentics AI," tied to the FYI App he created, gives students access to the world of AI technology.
The Agentics AI course was taught through ASU's game school. It's a credited, 15-week class, but it's open to anyone with an interest. Will.i.am teaches at his Hollywood FYI company and in Tempe, incorporating internet access depending on his teaching location. A second semester is planned for later this year.
One key issue he teaches is ethics, hoping to avoid some of the pitfalls seen with social media.
On the last day of class in mid-April, students presented their AI projects. They'd developed their own personal AI companion called an agent. One student applied his work to veterans' matters; another wrote a song tied to a health care journey and medical steps for care; another built a business for beach vendors in Brazil; and another wrote and visually brought a movie script to life. Music executive and community activist Chris Loos says he's using his tech agent to better serve the community.
Will.i.am's interest in tech and education is well documented, and he's cemented his place as a tech innovator. He brought in guest speakers from companies like NVIDIA and OpenAI. Will.i.am said, "Technology is my heart," and called his tech company and FYI App his "contribution to compute."
The concept to teach a university course was first outlined at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego last year. With a cell phone in hand, will.i.am did a demo of the FYI app and AI company he created, demonstrating his tech agent he calls a personal companion.
At the summit, there was an announcement of a partnership with summit host Arizona State University called FYI EDU. ASU's president, Dr. Michael Crow, Ph.D., calls will.i.am "a genius."
Before becoming an international superstar as the lead on the mic for the iconic Black Eyed Peas, he spent his childhood in Boyle Heights, growing up in the projects. Will.i.am returned with his non-profit, i.am Angel Foundation, and built a STEAM and robotics program in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He believes, "Tomorrow's entrepreneurs will come from those communities."
His business credits include being a founding equity stakeholder in Beats Electronics and being "instrumental in helping to transform Beats By Dre™ into a global consumer electronics brand," according to his website. He is also now developing an electric car powered by AI.
The theme of the technology summit was "learning at the speed of light." Will.i.am said, "At FYI, we don't want to replace people with AI. We want to amplify."