UTM WELCOMES PIONEER BATCH OF AI PROGRAMME STUDENTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) today saw the admission of the pioneer batch of 97 undergraduates to its Faculty of Artificial Intelligence (FAI) for the 2024/2025 academic session.

Its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail said the students at the first AI learning centre in the country and Southeast Asia will be taking their three-year Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence with Honours programme at the university's Kuala Lumpur campus.

He said the strength of the humanistically oriented curriculum and UTM's strategic relationship with domestic and foreign AI industry players were vital to the programme's uniqueness and quality.

"The programme developed by UTM has received various expert inputs from within the country and abroad, as well as across various fields and disciplines. It will involve lecturers from multiple academic fields, including the basics and use of AI, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Social Science, in developing AI talent, thus intensifying the field of technology across these disciplines.

"Students also have the opportunity to study through the infra 'smart future ready classroom' and also at the robotics lab in our campus," he said in a statement today.

According to Ahmad Fauzi, UTM researchers are also actively conducting research in AI integration and their findings will add value to students' learning and ensure that the technology they learn remains relevant.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement in Budget 2024 last year inspired the establishment of FAI, adding that the university managed to set it up within four months thanks to cooperation from the Higher Education Ministry.

The Prime Minister officially launched FAI on May 10 at the Malaysia Artificial Intelligence Nexus 2024 (MY AI Nexus) Council.

-- BERNAMA