Large numbers of American college students are rethinking what they study because of artificial intelligence, according to survey data reported by Axios and CNBC. A recent survey of US college students by the recruitment platform Superhuman, cited by Axios, found that 69% of respondents feared AI would make it harder to find a job, and 22% said they had already changed their major or concentration over job market worries. A separate survey published this year by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup, reported by CNBC, found that 13% of bachelor's degree students and 19% of associate degree students had changed their field of study because of AI, while 47% said they had given at least "a fair amount" of consideration to switching.
The anxiety is not unfounded. Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis have found that AI has created what they describe as an additional headwind for recent graduates trying to enter the job market, according to Investopedia.
No consensus on what to study instead
What remains far less clear is which fields of study now offer better protection. Computer science, long the fastest-growing major on American campuses, saw enrolment fall by 8.1% last year, according to the Washington Post, ending roughly 15 years of continuous growth. At the same time, a growing number of universities are moving in the opposite direction and building out dedicated AI programmes. Only four schools offered a standalone AI major in 2020; researchers at Northeastern University now put that figure at 79, with around 100 more offering an AI minor or concentration, the Boston Globe reports.
Not everyone agrees that a narrower technical focus is the right response. OpenAI's vice president of education has argued that employers will increasingly prioritise transferable skills such as critical thinking, leadership and collaboration, alongside general AI literacy, rather than any single technical major, according to Axios.
Some universities are taking a more unconventional route. Arizona State University has introduced a degree aimed at training students to become social media influencers, built around content creation rather than traditional coursework, the Associated Press reports. The programme has drawn criticism from those who argue content creation does not merit academic study, while supporters say it gives students a viable career path and transferable skills.
Sources: Axios, CNBC, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Investopedia, Associated Press
