NTU’s new programmes prepare students for fast-growing tech roles

In a column on askST, NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua addresses parents’ questions on whether an AI degree will continue to be relevant after students graduate, what an AI degree entails, and what the career prospects are in this field.

Prof Ho, who is also the founding executive chairman of AI Singapore, said that a degree that lays a strong foundation in AI and data science will enable students to thrive in an AI-driven world, but they will have to continually build on their technical skills to keep pace with the relentless speed of innovation.

In NTU’s AI-related degree programmes, including the newly launched AI and Society undergraduate degree programme, building AI models is just the tip of the iceberg. Students will learn how to apply the model they have built into a real-life AI solution that is powerful and human-centric, he said.

With the AI industry expected to continue growing in the next five to 10 years as AI becomes a general-purpose technology, the future is set to be bright for graduates in AI, said Prof Ho. NTU’s AI-related degrees will open the doors to coveted roles such as AI engineers and scientists. To get the most out of the degree programmes, he encourages students to keep an open mind, given that AI can be a springboard for the next wave of interesting startups.