Fear of AI displacing jobs is driving American adults back to school, a new study found.
More than 52% of people 25 and older worry that an AI takeover could leave them jobless — forcing them to plan to enroll in courses to sharpen their skills and help advance in their careers, according to the study by Eastern Washington University.
The university surveyed more than 1,000 participants and analyzed Google trends to determine what’s sparking people’s studious interests — whether it’s sharping their skills to compete with AI or changing fields completely.
Of those bracing themselves to hit the books once again, 21% were motivated by artificial intelligence threatening their careers, and 31% said that AI “increased their interest.”
This comes as experts claim AI poses a threat to most white collar careers. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman told the Financial Times in February most of these jobs will be automated within the next 18 months.
Daniel Crichton, a Manhattan Institute fellow who specialized in economic growth and AI, told The Post he’s “not surprised” by EWU’s findings.
“When you’re hearing these big negative news stories people oftentimes go back to school,” he said. “It’s a common thing to say, ‘Hey, I’m either struggling in this economy or I expect to struggle in the economy, I want to upgrade my skills.”
Healthcare, tech, and hospitality workers are the most likely to enroll in the next year, the study found.
Along with people returning to school at all levels of higher education, Crichton said he has noticed increased interest in the trades.
“Welding, electricians — these are jobs that people are seeing have not been replaced at all,” he explained.
Last month, Tufts University researchers created an American AI Jobs Risk Index, which predicted that more than 9 million people are “at risk of displacement in the next two to five years.”
The jobs most threatened by AI, per the index, were computer programmers, web designers, financial planners, data scientists, authors, and journalists.
Aside from the daunting reality that humans may be obsolete, money remains the leading factor pushing people to pursue some form of high education.
About 64% of those wanting to go back to school said it is for better pay, EWU reported.
But Crichton warned that even the most prestigious academic institutions may not be prepared for this unprecedented AI revolution.
Many professors are just as baffled as these prospective students — unsure of what they should even be teaching amid rapid technological advancements, he said.
“When people are fearful about their jobs, they always look for alternatives,” he said. “The old model is just go back to school and I think one of the big questions is, are schools AI ready?
“And I think the answer right now is no. Curriculums just don’t adapt that quickly.”
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