AI has a lot of sub disciplines like machine learning and that’s just CS. CMU would be high on the list. Got a tour of their robotic institute a few years ago. Mind blowing. I seem to recall Cornell and UMass being big on AI.
Might help. You can filter to AI and subgroups. Click on the blue arrow and it shows hyperlinks to various orgs and sites about that particular piece of AI.
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If you are willing to pay for it, Wisconsin tends to be an easier admit for CS. USNWR has their grad program at #20 in AI.
What is your state? I don’t think that you have a true safety yet.
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Virginia.
Here’s my spreadsheet.
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Naviance data can be difficult to interpret without context. It could simply be that your high school doesn’t have a relationship with the target schools and the few acceptances went to hooked kids (e.g. athletes, legacies). Can your GC provide some insight?
I agree with other posters about delving into the course catalog and checking out degree requirements at potential colleges. For example, my S is interested in theoretical comp sci and robotics so when I look at a college, I explore the variety of theory classes offered, current research/research opportunities, whether the college has a robotics team, etc.
When you look at CS rankings, the same handful of schools appear. You really do have to conduct your own research. It can be a lot of work, but the information is out there. Best of luck to you.
I reread your post. I’m not sure what you mean by quantum engineering. Do you mean quantum computing or engineering of quantum devices? Another thing that isn’t clear to me is whether your son likes robotics specifically. Robotics and artificial intellence aren’t the same thing, even though robotics often use some artificial intellence. The robotics track is usually separate and distinct from the AI track.
Not to add another reach to his list, but if he has an interest in Quantum Engineering, he should really look at UChicago. They have a Quantum Engineering track as part of the Molecular Engineering major.
He says he is primarily interested in AI (deep neural networks etc) but I saw some AI programs trended a bit towards cognitive sciences or psychology and he is really more on the applied side. He likes a lot of different things, has been programming in Java, C and Python since 4th grade and also loves his robotics team which competes at a high level- he is on the software side primarily but he loves to build things too and has designed components for it. Quantum computing because it would give the power to accelerate AI. So I think ultimately he is going to want to be hands on- he tinkers a lot with mechanical and electrical inventions as well but his primary interest is software/AI.
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Sounds like Grad School to me …
Pick the school with the strongest theoretical CS program, make sure he also takes a lot of stats. And prep for grad school. No undergrad program would be sufficient. Simply not enough time.
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There are undergraduate programs specializing in AI with depth and breadth (Stanford and CMU for starters), others may need to get those classes as a graduate student.
Quantum computing promises to change computing in general but is pretty immature for current students in any practical way. As you investigate schools look for availability of project based classes with access to GPU clusters or TPUs.
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Yeah … but I feel you can only do so much as an undergrad … especially in schools
with strong core requirements. Also to do AI properly, one has to take on additional math.
Actually you can do quite a bit as undergrad at some schools. Someone earlier mentioned that the student should look for schools that allow undergrads to take graduate level classes. That what our S did at Stanford and his AI portfolio is very strong.
That helps clear things quite a bit. Few schools offer a quantum computing track to undergrads (only one school that I know of). The main impediment is the amount of physics required for a fuller understanding. There’s already AI based on quantum computing.
My son ended up in ML, but it was not a direct route. Lots of exploring of neuroscience, cognitive science, physics, math. I have a hard time believing a 17 y.o. Knows exactly what he would like, without exposure. What mattered most for UG was the comfort in the campus, and for grad school several profs doing research of interest.
I think you are considering many good schools, with strong CS departments. Once accepted, he can choose based on other preferences.
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The National Science Foundation recently funded a $20 million dollar AI Institute at the University of Colorado. Other colleges that are also part of the AI research collaboration that might be high match/safeties: RPI, WPI, Stevens Institute, UC Santa Cruz, and Brandeis.
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Yes, I agree, it’s difficult to be sure at age 17 and it will be a combination of mentors and opportunities that will shape his ultimate path. It’s just a challenge to get all the data together to analyze programs, probability of admittance, what research is being funded, chances of getting into target grad schools, etc. I could use some AI to assess the AI!
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A friend of mine graduated MIT and now he works at AI development company ITRex. But I think nowadays your skills matter most that a cool university name 
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