As the world shifts towards AI-driven production and innovation, Arizona State University (ASU) is making sure that it is not left behind. Last Tuesday, the university partnered with tech entrepreneur and frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am, to unveil a new ASU AI course, “The Agentic Self,” which will be designed and taught by the musician.
He will be appointed a professor of practice in The GAME School at ASU, a school concentrated on increasing the digital fluency of the next generation of learners. The 15-week class will debut in spring 2026.
“This professorship marks a new chapter in my life,” said Will.i.am. “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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As co-founder of Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am became a worldwide sensation, working with chart-topping artists like Britney Spears while hanging out with tech pioneers like Google cofounder Larry Page. Along the way, he reinvented himself as a tech entrepreneur, although tech had always been part of his life, having specialized in science, engineering and mathematics while in high school.
After signing with his first music label at age 17, his concentration is now on promoting robotics, AI and technology. In 2014, he invested £5m ($6m) in Music Messenger’s Series A round, followed by a further investment in Shellanoo Group and Honest Dollar. Also, he co-created Beats with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, which was eventually sold to Apple for $3 billion in 2014.
In 2017, he invested in and acquired a $4.6 million stake in app-only bank Atom, and he has also put money into startups such as the app Knock Knock and acquired stakes in ChatGPT-maker Open AI and its multibillion-dollar rivals, according to Forbes.
His recent venture, FYI, is an AI-powered productivity app that enables creatives to collaborate and communicate on projects with digital asset management, Forbes wrote. FYI, also known as Focus Your Idea, is billed as “the first productivity tool designed to serve creatives first”.
This will be the first of several partnerships between ASU and the tech entrepreneur and musician. The recent collaboration is expected to “build new education-focused capabilities on top of will.i.am’s FYI.AI creative productivity tool, creating EDU.FYI, a new platform using NVIDIA technology,” ASU said in a release.
The new platform will give ASU students and faculty the opportunity to create their own AI agents and incorporate machine learning into coursework.
“The next generation of leaders will need to create and work with AI agents in ways that are empathetic, ethical and empowering,” said Richard Kerris, Nvidia’s vice president of media and entertainment.
The general-elective ASU course will be based out of Will.i.am’s Hollywood studio, with some students in-person and others likely joining from other ASU classrooms in Los Angeles, Arizona or online.
Last Tuesday’s announcement came after ASU was named as the most innovative university for 11 straight years by U.S. News & World Report.
Under ASU President Michael Crow’s leadership, the university has been looking for ways to innovate its teaching skills to help prepare its students to meet the moment.
“This pioneering partnership with will.i.am is an unbelievable opportunity for our students to learn from his extraordinary experience as a highly creative and unique tech innovator,” Crow added.
