AI Engine projects partner student teams with external partners in government, industry and more. AI Engine course commitments span two semesters of the 3-credit course. Projects are overseen by a teaching assistant. Weekly commitments for AI Engine include two hours of peer work, one hour with a project partner representative, one hour of homework and three to four hours of project design and contribution.

Commitment

AI Engine is open to sophomores through graduate students. Currently, there is not an option for first-year undergraduates to join. Projects are scoped to last the full academic year so students are expected to participate in both the fall and spring semester. Students will register for 3—credits in fall and 3—credits in spring for a total of 6—credits per academic year.

Application Process

Students interested in joining AI Engine need to submit an application first. The spring 2027 application is available online. Student are welcome and encouraged to participate multiple academic years in a row, but a new application is requested each year to express continued intent.

Registration notes

  • Students will register for one of the following courses in fall and in spring semester. The level corresponds to the number of semesters enrolled at Purdue. All courses below are 3—credits.
    • VIP 27930 — sophomores
    • VIP 37930 — juniors
    • VIP 47930 — seniors
    • VIP 67930 — graduate students (this course is currently in the approval process but is anticipated for spring 2027)
  • Students will self-select which project to register for. Students are expected to stay on the same team from fall to spring, but are welcome to join a new team the following academic year (next fall). Each project will have a corresponding section number and weekly class times. 
  • Students should review the available projects online.