The curriculum for a bachelor's degree in artificial intelligence at Ben–Gurion University of the Negev is expected to open as early as the 2026–2027 academic year (subject to the approval of the Council for Higher Education), and this will be one of the first and most comprehensive independent programs in Israel in this field.
Alongside a solid theoretical foundation in computer science, mathematics, machine learning, and statistics, the program will incorporate particularly significant practical experience, and will allow students exposure to advanced and up–to–date fields in artificial intelligence, among others: Deep learning, generative models, natural language processing, and computer vision, over three years of study.
The goal of the program is to train graduates who will be able not only to use existing AI tools, but also to deeply understand the scientific principles behind them, develop the next generation of technologies in the field, and lead research and innovation in industry and academia.
The program relies on a broad AI research community of exceptional scope, one of the largest in Israel within a single academic unit, which includes leading researchers with international recognition in a variety of artificial intelligence fields. Among the faculty members are Prof. Eran Treister, an expert in machine learning and scientific computing, who will serve as the head of the program, and Prof. Lior Rokach, the first Israeli to be selected for the UN AI panel and an expert in data mining and machine learning.
Over the past decade, artificial intelligence has become the core of global innovation, fundamentally transforming entire industries – from medicine and transportation to education and security. While until now the field has been studied mainly as a limited specialization track within a degree in computer science, the new program at Ben–Gurion offers a structured, deep, and large–scale track dedicated entirely to the core of AI.
The program was built inspired by the leading flagship programs in the world at elite universities such as MIT and CMU. To support the immense computational demands of the field, the university has placed unique teaching and research infrastructures at the program's disposal, which are among the most advanced in Israel, including a high–performance GPU–based computing cluster that enables the training and running of advanced models and the analysis of large–scale databases in real time (AI Compute Cluster), an applied robotics laboratory for the development, implementation, and testing of algorithms in real–world environments, as well as collaborations with leading technology companies, allowing exposure to current challenges and applications from the industry.
An integral part of the program will be dedicated to the ethical and social aspects of artificial intelligence. The students will be trained to understand the impact of technology on society, with the aim of developing "Responsible artificial intelligence" and assisting in shaping future policy in the field.
The program will operate at the heart of the cyber, high–tech, and national security ecosystem around the university campus in Beersheba, and offers students a direct connection to the industry, advanced research laboratories, and the forefront of technological innovation in Israel.
Dean of the Marcus Family Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Prof. Matthew Katz: New paragraph with proper spacing. "The curriculum will train a new generation of AI leaders, combining scientific excellence with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence technologies and the ability to develop advanced, reliable, and safe–to–use systems. The graduates of the program will contribute to the advancement of research, industry, and technological innovation in Israel."
Prof. Eran Treister, Head of the new program for artificial intelligence: "This is a direct response to the real and pressing need of the market for professionals who bring with them a focused specialization in the field."
President of Ben–Gurion University of the Negev, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz: "The new degree is another step in Ben–Gurion University of the Negev's leadership of AI in Israel. The university has been researching and embracing this field for a long time, including the establishment of the national institute for artificial intelligence – THE INSTITUTE. Now the next stage of a dedicated and unique degree in artificial intelligence has arrived."