COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas A&M University's Mays Business School is introducing a new minor this fall, "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Business," aiming to equip students with skills to leverage AI technology in the workplace.
"When the calculator came out, the mathematician didn't go away — it just increased their operational efficiency; it's the same way with AI," said Shubh Bhakta, a sophomore at Texas A&M University.
Artificial intelligence continues to grow rapidly, creating new opportunities and challenges for businesses seeking to implement the technology effectively.
"I think people are finally starting to realize how valuable it is and how many ways they can apply it," said Olivia Noyola, another sophomore at Texas A&M University.
The new AI and business minor will focus on creating efficiency through artificial intelligence, helping students identify ways businesses can better utilize the technology.
"Some of the busy work, the autonomous agentic AI that you set up, can be done for you and that AI minor in business really helps you do that," Bhakta said. "So, it's gonna be awesome."
15 ABC asked both Bhakta and Noyola how they see this preparing them for a career in business whenever their time at A&M is finished.
"You will leave with having this unique blend of business skills and AI," Noyola said. "It'll help you recognize spaces where AI can improve efficiency or solve problems quicker to allocate time to something else that might be more important."
For the Mays Business School, integrating AI into their curriculum represents a strategic focus area.
"This minor is kind of the beginning of many more things to come because the business world is changing and we want to prepare these students," said Arnold Castro, AI Assistant Dean at Mays Business School. "Because they are a product, we want to prepare them to hit the ground running and be very employable."
The program aims to educate a workforce that will shape the future of business.
"People are going to be seeking employers and employees who, you know, can bridge this gap between business needs and AI solutions…I'm really excited to see how this would look like in the workforce through these cases and projects that the minor allows us to work with," Noyola said.
The AI and business minor will launch this fall with four courses, with plans to add a fifth course in Spring 2026 and also develop it into an online certificate program available to anyone.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.