The rapid development of artificial intelligence—both in capabilities and adoption—has been mirrored by a growing concern that this latest era of automation will take a scythe to the American workforce.
The outlook appears to be bleakest among the labor market’s new or aspiring entrants. Some 70 percent of Generation Z say artificial intelligence has made them doubt their future job security, according to a survey by Glassdoor, and 65 percent of respondents in a separate poll said even a college degree can no longer protect them in the event of an AI-driven mass replacement.
The evidently pro-AI administration remains unflustered, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stating that he is “not at all” worried about AI’s implications for U.S. employment, while urging fearful Americans to embrace and adapt rather than resist the new technological epoch.
“Get educated on AI because having the AI skills and the ability to use them is what’s going to get you hired,” Bessent told CNBC in mid-October.
Building ‘AI-Resilience’ in the New York Mountains
But another approach is being adopted at a small yet growing college in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, committed to “AI-proofing” its students with a curriculum focused on “hands-on” professions even advanced LLMs will struggle to supplant.
Paul Smith’s College has seen a 30 percent uptick in new enrollees this fall, which Kathy Bonavist, executive vice president of Advancement & Enrollment, attributes in part to its preparation of students for such “AI-resilient” careers as forestry and environmental science, wildlife science, as well as hospitality and applied business, which require real-world problem solving and a human touch.