if you mean, working in university/teaching at university while studying, yes you will be involved in research work and probably be involved in teaching (TA assistantships )

and if you mean after your graduate studies, you could work both in public sector as well as private sector. Google hires a lot of people involved in AI, and so do many more companies. But if you are interested in academia, then you could work in a research lab, or go into teaching field too. I think once you get started onto your graduate course work, things will become clear to you as in what interests you and which path you want to follow.

>What kind of education will I need to have? Is it likely that I will need my doctorate or at least my masters?

Yes, you will need at least Masters degree or a PhD in CS with specialization in AI.

>If so, what would be a good school to get them from? Preferably someplace you can get into after you graduate from University of Alabama in Huntsville with a B.S. in CS/MA and a strong GPA.

Check out the latest graduate ranking for the CS department and go to their websites and see if you are interested in the research work, that is going on in the university. Email the professors about your interests and see if it matches with their research work. If the professors are interested in you, getting into any university should not be big issue unless you are aiming at MIT, UCB, Stanford

ps: When i was applying to PhD programs, i noticed many programs ask for 3.5 GPA at masters level & 3.2 GPA at Undergrad.

All the best !