Chances are high that you have listened to or read about the influence ChatGPT and other AI engines are already having on myriad industries. From generative art to automated virtual assistants, the advancement of the AI space is faster than almost any previous tech boom we’ve seen. With this rapid advancement comes significant uncertainty. 

In this HBR article from Dorie Clark and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, we learn about five concepts for future-proofing your career. Each of the authors’ suggestions offers a quick and useful way to think about this new technology while also seamlessly aligning with entrepreneurial thinking. Connecting with real-world people to learn their needs, constantly learning, and being reliable are all keys to remaining impactful in the world of work.

What’s more, however, is the true opportunity AI offers us. For decades, industry leaders have framed the majority of work as something for us to be as efficient as possible at. If we become competent users of AI rather than waiting to be replaced by it, perhaps we can find new freedom to do what we love in a way that serves the world around us, too.

The future of higher education, especially as it relates to technology, is quite a hot topic these days. In François Furstenberg's review of the now-former Temple University President Jason Wingard’s new book, The College Devaluation Crisis: Market Disruption, Diminishing ROI, and an Alternative Future of Learning, we see a thorough examination of the rise of new tech-based “reforms” and what they may or may not mean for existing institutional structures. 

The piece offers us a perspective on the role of societal divestment in higher education in the development of these reforms, which is, at first glance, a bleak affair. However, it may not be the whole picture. Well-rounded liberal arts education has long been committed to teaching students to think critically, communicate and research thoroughly, and serve their fellow humans. Now, as we see a drive for more and more skills in the workplace, these previously mentioned “21st-Century” skills are the most sought-after of all. 

Furstenberg frames this push for “soft skills” as an irony of the fall of traditional academic structures and the rise of the micro-credentialing future, but what if it’s something more? What if this is a new opportunity to meet students where they are, adapting a system that keeps educators and students in smaller and smaller boxes?

As the review concludes, "It’s up to us — not them — to decide what kind of higher-education system we want." This is true regardless of which industry is helming new reforms.