When filling in her university preferences this summer, Wang Ruoyu, a 2026 entrant at Beijing International Studies University (BISU), chose a brand-new undergraduate program — Intelligent Science and Technology (Language and AI) — and became one of the first students in its cohort.

The interdisciplinary program, which BISU launched in 2026 to address the shortage of talent fluent in both language and AI, is housed at the university's School of Artificial Intelligence and Language Sciences. For Wang, that combination was exactly what she had been looking for. It builds on BISU's decades-long accumulation of scholarship in linguistics, translation and intercultural studies, combining those strengths with the technical demands of natural-language processing and related fields.

Wang Ruoyu, a BISU freshman majoring in Intelligent Science and Technology (Language and AI)

Wang said her decision grew out of long-held interests rather than a single moment of inspiration.

In high school she had chosen physics, chemistry and biology, nurturing an early aspiration to study engineering, while English had long been both her strongest subject and a personal passion. Looking for a major that could accommodate both, she said the BISU program offered what she called a rare combination of engineering practice, language depth and personal interest.

She added that, after weighing her options and consulting practitioners in the field, she became convinced that compound talent proficient in both AI techniques and language patterns would be in growing demand, and that the program's prospects were beyond doubt.

Noting that many existing intelligent science and technology programs at comprehensive universities in China tend to focus on general AI or pure engineering research, while traditional language programs lack a strong technical component, Wang said BISU's program stands apart in that its AI training is anchored throughout in language application, with clearly defined objectives and a strong disciplinary identity.

As a member of the program's inaugural cohort, Wang acknowledged the uncertainty of being part of a new major without precedents, but said she believed the upside more than offset the risk. She expressed confidence that, as BISU's first interdisciplinary engineering program and a key element of the university's strategic priorities in education, the program would receive a wide range of resources and dedicated mentoring.

Looking back on her years of language study, Wang said her reading fluency in English had already enabled her to consult international sources and follow new developments in the field, and that her growing awareness of the gaps and rigidities in current translation tools had pointed her toward a future in which language understanding and AI tools work together.

Citing as her personal motto the line "per aspera ad astra" — "through hardship to the stars" — she said she intends over the next four years to build a solid foundation in both language and technology, take part in research projects and professional practice, and carve out her own path on the emerging track of language intelligence.