Fordham President Tania Tetlow told NPR that AI is changing the job market faster than expected, and universities need to ensure students acquire skills that AI cannot replicate, including critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and ethical judgment. Tetlow also stressed that this is a moment to pivot, not panic, because new roles are emerging that value uniquely human strengths.
Tetlow: “We worry very much about the job market they will inherit quite soon. Coding jobs in computer science, for example, have started to disappear, and our applications for computer science majors went down by a third last year. And that hit will start to also apply to things like accountants or junior lawyers in law firms, that the tasks that are the most technical are quickly being supplanted by technology.”
“What employers will increasingly need from them is that proficiency in technology, for sure, but also the most human of skills that won’t get replaced by machines.”
“I think that where we use AI as a tool to do important and good work better, it is responsible. Where we cede our judgment and responsibilities to technology without constant monitoring and checking of its accuracy, we have violated our own duties and responsibilities. But we need to have it as a tool always within our control, not to give over our most important functions to a soulless machine that has no conscience.”
