A recent article published in
What made these layoffs even more alarming than their sheer magnitude was that they affected workers in corporate giants like Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, TikTok and Salesforce and were almost exclusively high skilled workers (
The issue of the effects of automation, specifically AI systems, reshaping the nature of work and causing mass job losses is not new (
In the near future it is likely that many organizations will be adapting new operation models which will require a reconsideration of employees’ skills as the effects of AI automation will require the development of new skills and the further development of others (
In terms of the type of occupations most affected by AI automation, some predict that it will be those employing high skilled workers, including sectors such as postsecondary education in areas like English, foreign language, history, law, and social sciences (
Explorations relating to the early adaptation of AI tools in higher education have found that the best strategy for higher education is to adapt these tools into the academic context rather than fighting against them (
A rising number of works have begun to explore students’ experiences and perceptions of AI. Most of these studies have focused on students’ adoption of AI for use in higher education. Results of these studies have been similar, with most showing students have a general awareness of AI (
Following the iConference theme,
This research is part of a larger scale research project which uses an embedded case study design. As presented by Robert Yin (
The University has not prohibited the use of AI tools for academic purposes but has warned students that its use in coursework is left to their instructor’s discretion, and that the unauthorized use of such technologies may be classified as cheating according to the institution’s honour code. Data for this study are being gathered through one-on-one interviews. The question protocol used with students gathered information regarding their general educational experiences, experience with AI tools, and their perceptions regarding applications of these tools to various professional scenarios, including future career and occupational expectations.
Permission was obtained from the institutional IRB of the lead researcher prior to the start of data collection. Students were recruited through the candidate pool available through one of the academic units and offered the opportunity to join a raffle for one of three $50-dollar online retailer gift cards as a participation incentive. A total of 17 students participated in interviews conducted using an online video call platform. The interviews produced eight hours and 20 minutes of recordings which were captured digitally on the platform, which was also used to produce automatically generated transcripts. Transcripts were reviewed by the lead researcher to ensure accuracy. All participants were assigned pseudonyms which were presented and approved at the time their interview took place.
The use of a recruitment tool meant that the students in the sample were all affiliated with one of the colleges at The University. This college specializes in areas of communication and information studies. The areas are closely related to the socio behavioral sciences and represent to occupations which depend on creating close social connections to clients and audiences, as well as a great deal of creativity, with the goal of advancing social causes by understanding and explaining behavioral and social phenomena (Gerstein, et al., 1988).
Participants’ average age was 20 years old. Ten of the participants were seniors, while four were juniors, and three were sophomores. There were no freshmen in the sample. When asked to identify themselves, 12 identified as female, three as male, while two did not specify any gender.
The data were analysed inductively and went through several rounds of coding, starting with open coding which allowed for the identification of initial codes. Several rounds of axial coding followed, allowing for the collapsing of several codes to form more abstract code categories. Further coding was performed using structural coding, a technique that focuses on coding and creating initial categories on a data corpus which allows for comparisons between specific segments to be established in relation to their commonalities, differences, and relationships (
This research methodology allowed the researchers to ascertain the contextual nature of the participants’ awareness, use, and perceived application and value of AI tools. The findings presented here stem from the preliminary categories created for the specific question related to the participants’ perception of the influence that AI tools will have in their careers.
The general perception among participants in this study was that AI tools will change or deeply affect their future careers and the occupations which they are planning to enter upon graduation. Overall, students based their value judgments regarding AI tools and their possible professional uses on the notion of the inevitability of AI. This term expresses how most students saw AI as a new fact of life, which is shaping their academic experiences and will shape their professional experiences into the future. Due to the perception among students that AI is the new sine qua non of the workplace, most expressed the need to work with and master AI tools to improve their future career prospects.
For example, Morgan, a senior with a mass communication concentration, indicated that AI tools will be ubiquitous in their field, therefore the imperative will be to learn how to use it:
While many saw AI as the latest technological change to which they must adapt if they want to be competitive in the workplace, others saw it as a threat - one they must learn to grapple with. For example, Ozzie, a senior mass communication major, explained:
This same feeling was expressed by Pax, a junior public relations major:
Participants in the study also expressed concerns about the advent of AI in the professional arena, especially in terms of fear for what will happen if AI tools go unchecked. Some of the most pressing areas of concern related to the capacity of spreading and generating misinformation using AI, and the perception that AI has the potential to dehumanize human communication. The students interviewed shared that these perceived AI shortcomings are the areas where they have the most to contribute to the professional arena. As Clarice, a sophomore mass communication major, expressed:
Similarly, Nia, a junior information science major, shared her fear that AI will replace people in jobs and how the perceived weakness of AI’s lack of emotion can serve as the competitive edge she will have when she joins the workforce:
Despite a generalized feeling that AI is not a replacement to humans in the work environment due to its inability to understand and react to human emotions, the need to harness AI’s power during their college preparation is still in the participants’ minds. Some even expressed how they are thinking of adapting or reconsidering the courses they take or their college major selections and their current programs of study to help position themselves favorably in the future job market. This is exemplified by Iggy, a sophomore information science major:
As demonstrated by the findings in this study, participants want to acquire and develop skills and knowledge which will help them feel safe from being replaced by AI tools in their chosen careers. The general sentiment expressed by study participants is that AI is an inevitable aspect of their future job prospects. This leads the participants to take an attitude more accommodating towards learning how to best use AI tools and incorporate them into their current course of study in a way that best positions them with the skills needed in the job market. This attitude is accompanied by the generalized belief among participants that AI is not a panacea or infallible, leaving room for their skills, as human actors, to best position themselves in the future job market. This is reflected in the attitude that AI tools can’t do everything that humans can, including identifying misinformation, and providing the emotional connection that their socio-behavioral disciplines require.
In positioning themselves as humans with better capabilities for identify misinformation, human emotions, and being able to take specific actions to curtail these shortcomings, participants expressed their confidence in terms of being competitive in the future job market. It is important to highlight here that they do see the advantages of employing AI in their future careers but see it as yet another technological tool which can help them become better at their jobs, and not as a replacement for their skills and human essence in the future occupations.
In general, the students in this sample perceived AI tools as useful additions to their professional toolkit, but not as a replacement for their talents as employees or even as students. This finding has implications for multiple stakeholders in academia and beyond. For academic institutions, it highlights the importance of creating a curriculum which adopts AI tools instead of shunning or prohibiting it, as has already been highlighted in the literature (