For decades, the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Pace University has been at the forefront of innovation. As Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, transforms industries and redefines what is possible, Seidenberg is leveraging its history of excellence in the field to embrace the moment and prepare students to lead in an AI-powered world.
“Seidenberg professors are kind of bemused by the great boom in AI over the past couple of years,” says Katie Todd, assistant dean of strategy and engagement at Seidenberg and co-director of Pace’s AI Lab. The reason is simple: AI is in Seidenberg’s DNA. “AI is something they’ve been doing for decades, so after generative AI became this huge deal, they were kind of like, ‘yeah, and?’ That exemplifies the history of AI at Seidenberg.”
Faculty at Seidenberg have been working on AI for as long as the school existed. —Scharff
More than two-thirds of Seidenberg’s 40-year lifespan have included some form of AI education, with many faculty specializing in the field during their doctoral studies or across their research. Christelle Scharff, PhD, professor of computer science and co-director of Pace’s AI Lab, has been part of that legacy.
“Faculty at Seidenberg have been working on AI for as long as the school existed, and it was really led by research in robotics and D. Paul Benjamin, PhD,” says Scharff. She recounts finding evidence of early AI classes taught as early as 1997 covering topics from search algorithms, computer vision, and even natural language processing (the field of AI that serves as a foundation for modern generative AI). “We have now a record number of undergraduate and graduate AI courses spanning the different flavors of AI,” she continues. “And almost all Seidenberg faculty are tackling research problems in AI with applications in healthcare, art, education, cybersecurity, and gaming.”
AI is nothing new for Seidenberg, but now a new wave of innovation is reshaping the field—welcome to the era of generative AI (Gen AI).
Generative AI, popularized through large language models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot, joined the game in 2022 and has continued to rise in popularity and public consciousness. The reason? According to Li-Chiou Chen, PhD, interim dean of Seidenberg, the reason is because of the accessibility of these tools.
“The most significant change in AI is the ease of access to Gen AI tools to regular users. That is, everyone with internet access can use AI tools to some extent,” Chen explains. “Therefore, AI is impacting every aspect of our life and is helping us make decisions in many areas, such as healthcare, communications, education, legal, marketing, and more.”
Everyone with internet access can use AI tools to some extent. —Chen
David Sachs, EdD, a professor of information technology and faculty co-chair of Pace’s University-Wide AI Committee, has also observed how AI is rapidly transforming work in countless sectors. “Since Generative AI was released to the masses, it has permeated our society and jobs throughout the world,” says Sachs. “AI is being used in every job you can think of in increasingly interesting and important ways. AI is redefining jobs and creating new ones.”
With this transformation comes a growing need for universities and colleges to equip students with essential AI knowledge and skills. According to Sachs, “All Pace University students should have a working knowledge of AI concepts and practices so that they can then choose when and where to use them.”
It’s only natural that Seidenberg is at the forefront of AI education at Pace.
Though AI has always been an integral element of Seidenberg curriculum, the school and its faculty have adapted quickly to keep up with the rapidly evolving AI landscape, from revamping existing courses to creating entirely new majors.
“Seidenberg has created new AI and machine learning courses and curriculum to address the current demand as well as new development in the area,” Chen explains. “We are also in the process of launching new master’s programs in this area, pending on New York State approvals.” The proposed MS in AI will equip students with the expertise they need to work with these large AI models, while the MS in Applied AI takes the tenets of AI and focuses on how they can be used across different disciplines to solve problems.
All Pace University students should have a working knowledge of AI concepts and practices so that they can then choose when and where to use them. —Sachs
One field in which AI has a notable impact is cybersecurity, where AI is powering both the efforts of cyber-threats and the defenses against them. The US Department of Labor not only identifies cybersecurity as a booming industry, but as one steadily becoming dependent on individuals with AI backgrounds. “Cybersecurity is one of the strongest academic disciplines in Seidenberg,” Chen says. “In addition to the MS in Cybersecurity program launched in Fall 2020, we are launching a new BS in Cybersecurity program in Fall 2025.” Pace partners with organizations like the National Security Agency and the Department of Defense to provide scholarship programs for cybersecurity students, while Seidenberg’s increased emphasis on AI ensures these students are ready to tackle the evolving challenges of cybersecurity in an AI-driven world.
But AI education isn’t just for computer science majors. Recognizing that as generative AI transforms industries, Seidenberg faculty and leadership are working to make AI education available to all Pace University students, regardless of their field of study.
AI is redefining jobs and creating new ones. —Sachs
Seidenberg first began this effort by revamping CIS 101, the introductory computing course required to be taken by nearly all first-year, non-Seidenberg students at Pace. Previously split evenly between Microsoft Excel and programming languages, the course now dedicates half of its focus to Excel and half to AI, with programming fundamentals introduced through the AI modules.
Sachs, who re-designed the curriculum to focus on AI, explains the AI modules cover a range of topics, including the basics of machine learning, an introduction to three popular chatbots (ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot), practice with effective prompting, and explorations of the ethical issues of generative AI. “The course has been well-received by both faculty and students,” says Sachs. “Students were surveyed each week about the AI materials for that week; many of them had many positive comments about what they learned and how useful they found the AI materials to be . . . They seemed proud of what they had learned.”
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Sachs is also finalizing the curriculum for an upcoming AI in the Workplace course aimed at graduating seniors. While CIS-101 is a great first step to ensure all first-year students have an understanding of AI, Sachs and other Seidenberg faculty recognized the need for graduating students to build AI skills, considering that employers are beginning to prioritize AI experience in candidates.
“Students will learn many of the concepts taught in CIS 101—introduction to AI, prompts, ethics, and most importantly, how AI is being used in the workplace,” Sachs says. “The course is filled with many current examples of how many companies use AI to enhance their businesses. Students will have access to a wide array of current AI resources and be provided with a listing of free online courses about AI, should they wish to continue their studies.”
For those looking to go beyond the classroom with their AI education, Seidenberg remains the hub for new resources and centers focused on AI excellence.
In December 2024, Pace launched the Gale Epstein Center for Technology, Policy, and the Environment, thanks to a generous gift from Gale Epstein, a renowned New York City philanthropist and business leader. The Center’s mission is to promote technologies and policies that uphold the public’s right to access information about environmental conditions that may pose risks to their communities.
“The Gale Epstein Center will provide our students and faculty with the tools and resources to develop real-world solutions to critical environmental challenges,” said Jonathan Hill, DPS, Pace’s interim provost. “This is a proud moment for Pace as we expand our commitment to sustainability and innovation.” And with Seidenberg’s established AI expertise, some of that innovation may focus on how AI can be applied to support the Center’s critical goals.
This is a proud moment for Pace as we expand our commitment to sustainability and innovation. —Hill
Members of the Pace Community seeking hands-on experience with AI can turn to the newly launched AI Lab, introduced in early 2024, which embraces an interdisciplinary approach to AI. “The Pace AI Lab is designed to be collaborative, and we really encourage people from other disciplines to get involved,” says co-director of the lab Todd. “Like other technology, AI is most interesting when applied to another area.” The lab has already covered AI topics related to philosophy, business, and publishing, and aims to broaden its focus in the future by embracing a diverse range of topics from the Pace Community while inviting outside businesses and community members to deepen collaboration.
Lab co-director Scharff outlines just a few of the AI Lab’s many accomplishments since it opened less than a year ago, including undergraduate research, developing AI curriculum and courses such as Ethics in AI and Generative AI, conducting faculty training on AI’s impact on teaching, hosting events, and more. “Clinical professor Andreea Cotoranu and I even developed a module on Equity Centered AI Design for the Global Innovation Practice Course of the Design Factory Global Network,” Scharff describes. “The online course was taught by faculty from Columbia, Finland, the United States, and Portugal. Around 15 students from Pace participated.”
Both the Gale Epstein Center and the AI Lab—alongside other established initiatives like the Robotics Lab and Computational Intelligence Lab—highlight how Seidenberg is going beyond the classroom to expand the impact of AI education at Pace, and the future of AI.
For many, the idea of an AI-powered future sparks existential questions about humanity, ranging from concerns over copyright and job displacement to privacy and data security. One way to tackle these concerns is through expanded AI literacy, equipping people with the knowledge to responsibly navigate an AI-driven world. And, as Todd puts it, “Seeing how people use generative AI to do creative and useful stuff really helps with the existential dread.”
AI education goes beyond mastering the technology. “For both users and developers, we need to recognize and understand the limitations and risks of AI, such as abuses of AI tools, bias in data, privacy, system transparency, and ethics,” says Chen. “Interdisciplinary discussion and collaborations can help us to clarify the limitations and adopt risk mitigation strategies that are needed when we embrace AI,” says Chen.
The research and education taking place here at Pace and Seidenberg is innovative, exciting, and applicable to the real world. —Todd
Though the AI Lab and many of these initiatives originate with Seidenberg, Todd similarly agrees that an interdisciplinary approach is ideal. Todd says, “I hope that our colleagues in other departments see it as an opportunity to get involved, explore how AI is impacting their discipline, and get in touch to talk about collaborating on research, events, or other initiatives. According to Sach, the interest is there. “AI at Pace and Seidenberg seems to be a hot topic these days,” he says. “During the summer of 2024, when an introductory course was offered, 140 faculty and staff signed up to take it in 24 hours!”
The field of AI is evolving fast. With its established history of excellence, Seidenberg is primed not only to keep up, but to set the Pace. “My hope is that we can position Pace and Seidenberg in the AI race in research and teaching,” says Scharff. “That means also going beyond generative AI and defining an agenda that will include collaboration with Pace’s other schools and colleges and looking forward to new advancements that would combine traditional AI with new trends in AI.”
Interdisciplinary discussion and collaborations can help us to clarify the limitations and adopt risk mitigation strategies that are needed when we embrace AI. —Chen
As Seidenberg continues to build on its AI legacy, Pace remains committed to equipping students with the skills and knowledge to make a meaningful impact and shape the future. “We aim to increase AI literacy at Pace and support the University’s academic reputation as a center for AI,” says Todd. “The research and education taking place here at Pace and Seidenberg is innovative, exciting, and applicable to the real world.”
Seidenberg isn’t just preparing students for an AI-powered future—it’s empowering the human ingenuity that will shape it.
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