PHOENIX — Musician will.i.am, known for being the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, is now taking on a new title: professor.
The musician worked with Arizona State University to create a course called The Agnetic Self, which focuses on artificial intelligence (AI).
The purpose of the class is to teach students about preventing AI from taking human jobs.
What is agentic AI?
Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence that focuses on one specific area rather than general knowledge and acts autonomously.
ASU Director of Media Relations Veronica Sanchez told KTAR News 92.3 FM the class will prepare students for the future of tech in the workforce, including jobs that haven’t been created yet.
“It’s a two-part course. One part is general AI knowledge. The other part is really the creative side in a sense where the students will be able to build and design an AI companion,” Sanchez said.
How will will.i.am’s new ASU course work?
The class will be a hybrid course taught out of will.i.am’s Hollywood studio, with some students in-person and others joining the course online.
Sanchez said this is part of ASU’s efforts to create pathways for students to get ahead in future technology.
“He’s an incredible musician, but in the past 10 years, he’s been doing a lot in the AI tech space,” Sanchez explained. “He’s an innovator in that space. He has been consulting with Fortune 100 companies in that space.”
The class will be 15 weeks and begin in the Spring 2026 semester.
Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.
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