Houston City College officials announced a $2 million investment from Google to expand its artificial intelligence and robotics programs. The grant funding is expected to support new AI faculty and technicians to reach thousands of local high school and college students.

HCC Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher told local high school principals and education stakeholders Dec. 16 at the college’s southwest campus in Houston’s Inner Loop that the funding represents a new chapter in the college’s story.

“This funding from Google.org will help address the nationwide shortage of qualified AI faculty, a challenge that currently slows the training of students for high-tech jobs in emerging fields,” Fisher said. “It will allow HCC to connect students to hands-on AI training, technical resources, valuable mentorships and real-world working opportunities.”

The grant, Houston City College officials said Dec. 16, will fund a variety of initiatives including the hiring of full-time AI faculty and technicians, developing new curriculum and enhancing the college’s lab facilities. Students and instructors showcased various software and robot programs on Dec. 16. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)
Houston City College officials said the grant will fund a variety of initiatives, including the hiring of full-time AI faculty and technicians, developing new curriculum and enhancing the college’s lab facilities. Students and instructors showcased various software and robot programs Dec. 16. (Melissa Enaje/Community Impact)

The impact

With the grant, HCC officials said they will establish a variety of initiatives, including:

  • Hire at least 10-plus full-time faculty and technicians specializing in AI
  • Develop a new curriculum
  • Enhance lab facilities
  • Train 40 college instructors and 40 high school instructors who could reach an estimated 3,200 high school and 4,800 HCC students
  • Establish a regional coalition of 20 institutions and partners to meet the needs of the local economy

At the Houston campus, Conroe ISD high school junior Ezra Dakatubia and HCC classmate Ahad Maredia presented their robotics and software program project. The robot was programmed to recognize hand pattern movements that propel the robot's direction—a capability that could be utilized as safety products within the industrial industry, they said.

The high school student said his family helped him find the HCC program since the opportunity wasn’t available at his high school or community colleges near him in The Woodlands. His mom drives him over an hour from north Houston to attend classes.



“A lot of people are scared of the progress of AI in general,” Dakatubia said. “But to me it represents, you know, a safer future, as long as you have the correct regulations and you have the controlled resources to make it not only available to everybody, but also fair.”

Digging deeper

The community college’s history in the AI and robotics industry dates back to 2020, when HCC became the first community college in Texas to offer an associate degree in AI, college officials said. By 2023, HCC became the first U.S. community college to launch a bachelor’s degree in applied technology in AI and robotics.

The event presentation highlighted a variety of student-oriented awards and designations, from the creation of AI-backed medical tools that could detect leukemia in children’s blood cells to work on robotics and software prototypes that could assist with security and public safety surveillance. HCC Dean of Digital and Information Technology Samir Saber said HCC has seen a rapid growth in AI and related programs, with its enrollment numbers doubling every year.

“Our approach has been really project-based ...,” Saber said. “It’s not just from the classroom, it’s also from student clubs, it’s the mentorships from industry, working closely with [the] industry.”