50% of Students Are Worried About AI Taking Over Jobs: What educators need to know
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
A new study by BMG Research found that 50% of students ages 18-24 are worried about artificial intelligence taking their future job prospects. Students who already have to learn how to navigate artificial intelligence (AI) in their everyday lives are now worrying about AI taking over their dream careers. This anxiety could hinder their academic performance and dampen their enthusiasm for learning.
Empowering students to sharpen their soft skills, like how to use AI in positive and ethical ways, can alleviate some of this stress for students. While artificial intelligence can perform various tasks, from creating lesson plans to writing short stories, it only works when paired with humans. Educators can counteract student stress related to AI by emphasizing adaptability, creativity, and critical thinking—skills that AI can’t replicate.
Staying on top of evolving changes with AI allows us to address student concerns and empower them to use technology for good in school and their future career path. Let’s dive in!
Companies are integrating AI, but not in the way many students think
Backing up BMG’s study, Kingston University did a study of its own that reveals that half of almost 25,000 students at the university have fears that their job prospects could be threatened by AI. This concern doesn’t just exist in technology majors but for all students across the university. The creative industries, which we often believe involve the most human work, are not free from AI’s influence. Artificial intelligence has spread across several sectors, including healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing.
While not all industries use AI, more companies utilize the technology each year. 35% of global companies use AI and half plan on incorporating AI into their business processes in 2023. The growth of AI use in different industries concerns students the most. However, despite the rising use of AI, Forbes reported that 86% of consumers prefer interacting with humans over AI Chatbots. With such an overwhelming number of customers preferring human interactions, companies likely won’t be replacing all their positions with artificial intelligence.
Even better news, while students may be worried that companies will automate jobs with AI, several businesses have been using AI to create new jobs for humans. Humans will always be needed to work, as technology cannot automate every job. However, now that AI has been thrown into the job mix, more businesses are looking for employees who can train, work with, and utilize AI. According to a recent study by SAS, an AI and data management firm focusing on the work environment in the U.K., 63% of decision-makers report a shortage of employees possessing AI and machine learning skills, even though 54% already utilize these technologies.
The research found by SAS is incredibly important for students to understand, as AI is not taking all jobs away, but knowing how to navigate AI can help them find a career in many industries. As educators, we can help students find and develop career interests by encouraging them to learn more about AI technologies and how to use them in ethical ways that will help them stand out among the sea of job applications. When we empower students to use AI technology for good, not only are we creating responsible, well-rounded students, but we’re helping them prepare for new careers that lie ahead.
How students can use AI for good
Despite student concerns about AI taking future job prospects, human jobs aren’t going anywhere, at least not right now. Educators can share the research behind AI and careers to relieve student stress. Once we put students’ minds at ease, we can help them harness AI’s power to use technology for good and advance their career aspirations.
Here are some ways to encourage students to use tech like AI positively and ethically.
- Encourage students not to be afraid of using AI: Artificial intelligence isn’t going anywhere, and more people are starting to use it in their daily lives. Insider Intelligence expects about 100 million people in the U.S. to be using AI by 2024. While it’s beneficial to know how to use AI, it is most important that students use AI tools ethically. The #WinAtSocial Lesson, Examining the ethics around AI and plagiarism, does just that.
- If students don’t want to work with tech, empower them to pursue other routes: Students who don’t like using AI shouldn’t feel pressured to. Remind them that there are plenty of fields they can work in that don’t rely on artificial intelligence but could use it to enhance their work.
- Challenge students to use AI to solve problems: Part of using technology for good is knowing when and how to use it to help others. Whether students use AI to create inventions to solve common issues, like how two students created an AI retina scanner to detect health problems, or use it to advance their academic studies, AI has many abilities and should always be used for good.
AI has become a large part of students’ everyday lives and shouldn’t be a cause for worry. Encouraging students to explore the potential benefits of AI, such as increased efficiency, productivity, and idea generation, can help them sharpen their tech skills to pursue future career goals. To learn more ways to empower students to harness the power of AI for good, check out our ChatGPT playbook.
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
50% of university students are worried about artificial intelligence taking jobs away from humans. While the use of AI is growing in companies, most corporations don’t have immediate plans to replace humans with AI. However, they are looking to hire more employees that are knowledgeable about AI use. Would you be interested in becoming an expert on AI? What are some ways you can use AI to further your career prospects?
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.