(TNND) — Nearly half of college students have thought about changing their majors because of what they think artificial intelligence might do to the labor market in the years to come.
And 16% of students have already made a switch.
The new report comes from a survey of college students conducted by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation, which works to make opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.
They found that 47% of all college students, including 42% pursuing a bachelor’s degree and 56% pursuing an associate degree, have given at least a fair amount of thought to changing their major because they’re unsure how AI will impact the job market or their specific industry down the line.
Seven in 10 students working toward a degree in a technology field have given serious thought to majoring in something else, as have 68% of students in vocational programs.
Over half of students studying the humanities, business or engineering have considered jumping ship for a degree they think might fare better in the age of AI.
Courtney Brown, the vice president of impact and planning for the Lumina Foundation, said the surge in students reconsidering their majors stems mostly from uncertainty. No one really knows yet how disruptive AI will ultimately be for the workforce, but students appear to be wary.
“I think it’s a sign that they are listening to the media, that all these jobs are going to disappear,” Brown said. “They’re listening to their friends and social media, and they’re trying to make sense of it.”
Associate degree students were more likely than their four-year counterparts to say they’ve either switched a major or have considered doing so. Nearly a fifth of students working toward a two-year degree said they’ve already changed their field of study because of the impact AI might have on jobs.
Brown said associate degree students might feel AI’s impact more immediately because their degrees are more closely tied to specific job skills.
The same report showed students are already using AI widely, but Brown said colleges are lagging in providing clear guidance, consistent policies or education on how to use the powerful technology responsibly.
Over half of college students said they use AI in their coursework at least weekly, despite more than half saying their colleges discourage or prohibit AI use for schoolwork.
Over half of the students indicated that at least some of their courses don’t have clear policies about how they can use AI.
And nearly three in 10 said their schools are not adequately training them to use AI.
Students said they’re using AI to understand coursework, check answers, edit their writing, summarize notes, and more. They said it helps them digest complex material, saves them time, boosts their grades, and prepares them for future careers.
Brown said colleges can’t keep AI at arm’s length.
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“The more that higher ed keeps stalling and not providing some clear guidance, even around some general principles on how you use it or what it is, the more that’s going to hurt students who need to be prepared to use AI in the workforce,” Brown said. “The workforce is going to demand it.”