AI Impact on Education and Jobs

Artificial intelligence is now common in American life, affecting education and jobs. Experts suggest that students should focus on uniquely human skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, and social intelligence, to prepare for an AI-influenced workforce.

While some majors may become less valuable, careers in mental health, healthcare, and high-level management are expected to remain important. The human role will likely focus on collaborating with AI.

AI is expected to eliminate some jobs while creating others. Corporate advisor Jack Myers said that opportunities will expand, and forecasts of job obsolescence should consider job creation.

Myers said jobs in coding, basic processing, routine bookkeeping, low-complexity customer service, and translation may be eliminated soon. However, AI will create exceptional opportunities.

Joey Kim, chair of the Department of Engineering and Computer Science at Master’s University, described AI as a tool that modifies careers. Michael Pavlin, an associate professor in the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, said that AI will be part of many white-collar jobs but remains skeptical.

Reva Freedman, an associate professor of computer science at Northern Illinois University, believes AI's impact will be similar to the introduction of the PC in 1983, which replaced secretaries and clerks with word processors and software.

Freedman said that jobs requiring high-level thinking, management skills, or hands-on work, like medicine, will remain. Gary Clemenceau, an author with tech experience, agrees that mental health, healthcare, and jobs requiring higher-order thinking will be viable.

AI and Education

Freedman said that teachers can no longer prevent students from cheating on writing assignments, even in class, with tools like web-enabled glasses.

Kim stated that the misuse of AI in education diminishes the value of a degree. Freedman also raised concerns about AI's misuse in other areas, such as allegedly creating fake citations in a report.

Pavlin is concerned about subtle AI errors that are hard to detect and believes AI is not foolproof. Kim said that human expertise will still be needed for important decisions involving high stakes.

Pavlin said that the overuse of AI by students could negatively affect their critical thinking abilities.

Preparing for an AI-Altered Job Market

Most interviewed scholars recommended students develop uniquely human attributes to prepare for AI's impact. Myers stated that machines are already smarter than humans in many ways.

Myers said humans are needed for collaboration, contributing unique human qualities developed in social sciences and humanities majors. Clemenceau said students need to think for themselves because AI is not creative.

Myers believes coding will become irrelevant as AI handles its coding. Freedman said that while programs that write programs have been anticipated for a long time, it's hard to predict if the need for programmers will decrease. She believes there will always be a need for people who care about their work and understand business needs.

Freedman does not think a student's major determines their success, believing personal qualities are more important. Kim said motivation and using tools effectively will help students find jobs regardless of their major.

Clemenceau believes some people will reject AI to live more spiritual lives, while others will embrace AI and sacrifice their humanity, becoming less creative and more easily manipulated.