Thousands of students packed UCSB on Thursday for the first day of Fall classes—with the specter of artificial intelligence and its impact looming over them.
For Daria Tehernova, a senior majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, AI is on her mind.
She said the biggest stressor is the emergence of artificial intelligence and its effect on the job market.
“It’s really been integrated a lot more than freshman year,” Tehernova said. “And AI is a lot smarter now.”
This fall, the university is offering a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence for the first time. The degree was offered to a select few freshman and transfer students in the computer science department.
Jamie Shih sat on the Arbor Lawn Thursday with Tehernova. Shih is a junior majoring in electrical engineering. She said the college of engineering has encouraged the use of AI more than any other department at UCSB.
Within the college of engineering, the AI degree is designed for students building and evaluating AI models.
The first-day of classes marks the beginning to an end for some seniors at UCSB, and with it the uncertainty of life after college.
At least 24,000 students were estimated to start classes this week. On campus, students were mingling with friends around the UCSB Library, locking their bikes and checking their phones for directions to class.
Sitting on a bench across the Art, Design & Architecture Museum on campus, Riah Kellum, a senior art major, said it’s been harder to point out the use of AI in the artwork created by her classmates.
“With AI now that can create talent or mimic talent so easily — it’s so scary,” Kellum said.
The art major transferred from Santa Barbara City College in 2025. During her first year at UCSB, Kellum said many students would try to present art made with AI as their own.
She hopes to take an art program in San Diego after college. But the job market for artists has made it difficult to break through the scene, Kellum said.
“I’m just kind of scared because of the rise of AI and people aren’t looking for as many artists anymore,” Kellum said.
Clayton Hunter, a sophomore philosophy major, said he used AI his freshman year for brainstorming and small assignments.
He said AI is a useful tool, but added, “it’s too easy to access” as a student.
“It might be a short term fix, but you need to know that in the long term doing it yourself is more beneficial,” Hunter said.
The prospect of finding a job in the world of AI bothered Shih, the electrical engineering major, even though she still has another year left of college.
As she prepares for her fall quarter classes, Shih couldn’t help but think about the future and how to stay on track.
“At the end of the day, I’m going to try to look up internships or opportunities or I’m going to be behind,” Shih said.
