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    Global music artist and tech entrepreneur will.i.am has completed his first semester teaching an AI course at Arizona State University focused on agentic AI and his FYI app.

    His students built personal AI agents for projects ranging from veterans’ services to music, healthcare, and business applications.

    The milestone adds to will.i.am’s growing work as a tech innovator and educator, underscoring his belief that AI should be ethical and amplify human creativity.

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    A Course Solving The Problem of AI Replacing Human Jobs  

    The Agentics AI course runs through ASU’s game school as a credited 15-week class, but it is open to anyone interested. Will.i.am teaches the course at his Hollywood FYI company and in Tempe, adjusting internet access based on location. A second semester is set for later this year.

    On the last day of class in mid-April, students presented AI projects they had built according to Fox 11. Each student created a personal AI companion called an agent. One applied the work to veterans’ issues, another wrote a song about a health care journey and its medical steps, another built a business tool for beach vendors in Brazil, and another wrote and visualized a movie script. 

    Music executive and community activist Chris Loos said he uses his tech agent to better serve the community. One key focus of the course is ethics. Will.i.am teaches it to help students avoid the pitfalls of social media.

    “This professorship marks a new chapter in my life,” the Grammy award winner said in a previous press release. “From creating global unifying music to establishing my i.am Angel Foundation, which empowers 15,000 Los Angeles area high school students with STEM skills and sends thousands to college, I find the answer to my question, ‘Where’s the love?’ in this course. The Agentic Self represents a solution to AI replacing human jobs.”

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    Will.i.am AI and Tech Endeavors

    The Black Eyed Peas founding member and tech entrepreneur will.i.am founded the FYI.AI app. The AI-powered communications and productivity platform that supports creativity and delivers interactive experiences.

    One key feature is RAiDiO.FYI, a free AI-powered set of interactive radio stations covering sports, pop culture, and politics. RAiDiO.FYI uses OpenAI’s language models to let listeners ask questions, request songs, and get news updates from an AI DJ. 

    In 2024, the musician and Mercedes-Benz launched MBUX Sound Drive, a new technology that links a driver’s music to driving dynamics. MBUX Sound Drive interprets actions such as recuperation, acceleration, steering, and braking, converting them into musical expressions.

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    From International Superstar to Professorship

    Before becoming an international superstar as the lead on the mic for the iconic Black Eyed Peas, he spent his childhood in Boyle Heights, growing up in the projects. Will.i.am returned with his non-profit, i.am Angel Foundation, and built a STEAM and robotics program in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

    He believes, “Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs will come from those communities.”His business credits include being a founding equity stakeholder in Beats Electronics and being “instrumental in helping to transform Beats By Dre™ into a global consumer electronics brand,” according to his website. He is also developing an electric car powered by AI. The theme of the technology summit was “learning at the speed of light.” Will.i.am said, “At FYI, we don’t want to replace people with AI. We want to amplify.”

    Will.i.am first outlined the idea for a university course at last year’s ASU GSV Summit in San Diego. With a cell phone in hand, he demoed the FYI app and AI company he created, showcasing his tech agent, which he calls a personal companion. At the summit, Arizona State University and FYI announced a partnership called FYI EDU. ASU’s president, Dr. Michael Crow, Ph.D., calls will.i.am “a genius.” 

    Main Image: Will.i.am, Photo Courtesy of Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

    The post will.i.am Completes First Semester Teaching AI Course at Arizona State University appeared first on UrbanGeekz.

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