By Michael R. Cornell, President, Hilbert College 

Every once in a while, someone asks me the same nervous question: “Is AI going to take our jobs?” I think the right question is simpler—and harder. It’s not whether AI can replace us, but who among us has learned to use it effectively. 

Hilbert College’s Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence and the new Bachelor of Arts in Artificial Intelligence Studies are designed to ensure our students can do exactly that. 

Artificial intelligence is unlikely to replace all human work. But the nurse, accountant, teacher, or small-business owner in Hamburg or downtown Buffalo who learns to use AI effectively may outperform someone who chooses to sit this out. At Hilbert, our goal is to ensure that students become AI-fluent through their degree programs. 

Here is another question we consider: “Can AI do this?” Increasingly, the answer is yes. AI can draft emails, analyze health records, screen job candidates, and even mimic a person’s voice. Capability is no longer the limiting factor. Human judgment is. 

The more important questions are: “Should we?” If we should, how do we proceed responsibly, with people and communities at the center? 

An algorithm cannot answer those questions for us. They require leadership, ethics, and human wisdom—qualities Hilbert’s Franciscan, humanities-rooted education has long cultivated. 

That is why Hilbert created the Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence—not as another computer science lab focused solely on technology, but as a human-centered, application-focused program. It prepares students and working professionals to apply AI thoughtfully in real-world workplaces, from health care and nonprofit organizations to manufacturing firms throughout Western New York. 

This spring, we built on that foundation by launching our on-campus Bachelor of Arts in Artificial Intelligence Studies. The interdisciplinary program examines AI’s ethical, social, creative, and professional impacts across business, media, health care, and public service. Students gain hands-on experience with industry-leading AI tools while strengthening the critical thinking, communication, and ethical decision-making skills that shape how those tools are used. 

We are not preparing students to compete with artificial intelligence. We are preparing them to lead in a complex era by understanding that AI should be about augmentation, not merely automation. The essential question is not just “Can we?” but “How should we?” 

No matter what the diploma says, every Hilbert degree is designed to be a degree of courage—the courage to be seen, tested, and challenged in small classes; to sit with questions that have no simple answers; and to make difficult decisions with conviction. 

AI can do almost anything we ask of it. Our job is to prepare people to ask the right questions first. 

Visit www.hilbert.edu/academics/institute-applied-ai/ and www.hilbert.edu/programs/artificial-intelligence-studies-ba to learn more.