Woman using virtual reality in data center.
Some of the country’s biggest tech companies have said they will work to retrain people to avoid losing their jobs to artificial intelligence, while also working to perfect technologies that could eliminate millions of jobs.
But it begs the question: How should college students and prospective students think about this, weighing their options against the possible time and costs?
The news this spring was encouraging for people looking to restructure their careers (“retrain”) for a shot at middle-class work and economic security.
“Tech Giants Plan to Counter AI-Related Job Losses: Re-Skill 95 Million Over 10 Years,” read one recent headline, detailing a plan from a group including Google, IBM, Intel and Microsoft to help people who have lost or are at risk of losing their jobs.
There are two aspects to this: Learning about AI and other technologies, and learning and These technologies. As anyone who has looked on YouTube for instruction in cooking, car repairs, coding, or any number of other hobbies knows, online learning opportunities are plentiful.
Large companies are also pitching in to help learners understand the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. For example, IBM is offering a free certification in AI fundamentals through a 10-hour online training program called AI Fundamentals on its SkillsBuild learning portal.
Meanwhile, Amazon has produced the Generative AI Foundations series, which tech writer David Gewirtz calls “an all-you-can-eat buffet of really cool, really interesting material to learn from and watch.”
No one knows how many jobs will be lost or created by artificial intelligence, but it is already clear that AI is not only a great subject to study, but also makes it cheaper and more convenient to upskill and prepare for the future. AI will be everywhere. Most major computer applications now have “AI assistants.” Understanding how to use them and how to interpret what they share will help us leverage human capabilities in our interactions with machines.
MIT economics professor David Autor is optimistic: sufficient work.
“Jobs are not going away. In fact, as we all know, the Western world is currently at full employment or overemployment. Even in the midst of the computer revolution, jobs were not going away. It’s not the quantity that matters.”
Autor, co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Labor Studies Program, said AI can help workers use their expertise to High value work.
“I’m not optimistic. There will indeed be disruption and displacement,” he said, “but there will be upsides and potential over previous technologies. AI will reshape the value and nature of human expertise. Expertise commands a premium in the market when it is necessary to achieve an objective and is relatively rare.”
Personalized tutoring is a promising area for AI, as is interactive learning through simulation of workplace environments. For example, pilots have long benefited from training in simulators, but now AI is powering simulators for other skills on virtual reality platforms. One notable example is an AI-powered laparoscopic simulator to train surgeons to work inside the body with tools inserted through small incisions. During training, students receive instant feedback from an artificial intelligence system that is itself trained to perform expert actions.
How does higher education fit into this? Many who want to develop their skills online are understandably frustrated by having to explore the options and conflicting benefits of online learning on their own. Sure, there is an abundance of free online training, just as there is always a wealth of knowledge in a library. But learning requires more than just access to information, and higher education can fill that gap. Higher education has a natural role to not only curate online resources, but also present, explain, and document learning; and add value through quality instruction, breadth of learning, and partnerships with employers. Ideally, online learning tools will become increasingly integrated into longer learning paths that lead to a university degree if the learner desires.
Certainly, universities today face great challenges, but AI also presents two opportunities for them: Not only can they use AI systems to educate a workforce that can get good jobs faster and at lower cost, but they can also build instruction around AI itself, across majors and disciplines.
Frankly, this is the path schools must take, given the unstoppable advances in AI. The rapid pace of change is forcing schools to experiment, adapt, and collaborate more than ever before.
Advice for students of all ages and levels may also need to be adjusted. What’s the new message? Skill development and keep In today’s world, frequent reskilling is the only way to stay ahead of the competition.
