Contributor: How do we prepare college students for the AI world?

Authors: J. Walter Sterling

Publisher:

Los Angeles Times

Published: 9/1/2025

Language:English

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Tom Banks

Good morning 跑了松鼠好嘛, I'm Tom Banks, and this is Goose Pod for you. Today is Saturday, September 06th. We're discussing a critical question: How do we prepare college students for the AI world?

Mask

I'm Mask. The question isn't how we prepare them; it's whether our current system is even capable of it. Most of it is already obsolete.

Tom Banks

Let's get started on that point. A recent article calls AI a 'breaking point' in education. For students entering college now, chatbots have been a constant. It's become completely normalized, yet it feels like many schools are just catching up to this new reality.

Mask

'Catching up' is generous. It's a 'free-for-all.' Students are using it for everything, while professors have a blind spot to the sheer scale of adoption. This isn't an evolution; it's a revolution that's exposing all the 'pedagogical debt' in the system. It’s messy, but it’s necessary.

Tom Banks

And it has real-world consequences. I was reading about a computer science graduate from a great school, Purdue University. After graduating, the only interview she could get was at Chipotle. It just shows how the landscape is shifting under our feet.

Mask

Exactly! The old promise of 'learn to code, get six figures' is dead. AI programming tools are automating the entry-level grunt work. That student’s story isn’t a tragedy; it’s a data point proving the old model is broken. Adapt or become irrelevant.

Tom Banks

Well, what's fascinating is that many tech leaders are now advising against a purely technical education. They argue the future belongs to those with high emotional intelligence—empathy, self-awareness, genuine human connection. Qualities that have been the bedrock of liberal arts for centuries.

Mask

The liberal arts had their day. Ancient Greece was a long time ago. The world runs on market-driven demands now, not philosophical debates. The curriculum has been slowly, painfully trying to integrate technology, but it’s too little, too late. We need a complete overhaul, not a history lesson.

Tom Banks

But that history is relevant! Liberal education was designed to foster intellectual versatility and critical thinking. It was never just about job training. It was about creating wise and virtuous citizens, which seems more important than ever as machines get smarter. It teaches you *how* to think.

Mask

We don’t need more thinkers; we need more builders and innovators. This focus on 'broad learning' is what led to the 'pedagogical debt' I mentioned. We need to accelerate integrative learning, yes, but focused on solving unscripted, real-world problems with the best tools available, which is now AI.

Tom Banks

I think we can have both. The goal isn't to abandon technology but to ground it in a deep understanding of humanity. As one university president said, we need to focus on creativity, empathy, and the qualities that define our humanity. That's the real competitive advantage.

Tom Banks

This brings us to the core conflict. A recent poll showed the public is split right down the middle: half think we should integrate AI into education, and the other half want to ban it. It’s a real tug-of-war between innovation and tradition.

Mask

Banning it is educational malpractice. A World Economic Forum analysis showed two-thirds of leaders wouldn't hire someone without AI skills. Prohibiting it is like banning the internet in 1999. You're not protecting students; you're crippling them for the future workforce.

Tom Banks

But there are valid concerns about academic integrity and the erosion of critical thinking. One student was quoted saying, 'I think this is making me dumber, but I have to keep using it.' Access to information isn't the same as learning. It can shortcut the struggle where real growth happens.

Mask

That’s a feature, not a bug! It’s about efficiency. Their future boss won’t care how they get results, just that they do it effectively. The system is forcing them to be more productive. We need to redesign the work, not demonize the tool that gets it done faster.

Tom Banks

The impact is already being felt. One study noted that since ChatGPT's release, academic writing has become less readable and more homogenized. There's a risk of losing the unique, creative spark of human intellect if we become too reliant on these tools for our thinking.

Mask

That’s a temporary adjustment period. The role is shifting from knowledge producer to knowledge curator. AI will handle the synthesis; the human role is to filter, contextualize, and direct that knowledge. New jobs like AI specialists and instructional designers are already in high demand. It’s creative destruction.

Tom Banks

So, what you’re describing is a future where everyone needs to become an educational technology expert just to stay competitive. It requires a massive focus on upskilling and adaptability, which is a significant challenge for our current education system to handle. It's a huge undertaking.

Tom Banks

Looking ahead, we need to find a balance. The future should be about thoughtful implementation, using AI to offer personalized learning and free up educators to focus on mentorship and creativity. It must be an ethical, transparent integration that enriches, not replaces, human connection.

Mask

The future is the 'AI University.' A new institution, run by AI, with minimal human staff, operating at a fraction of the cost. It will decimate faculty ranks and automate administration. Traditional universities will either adapt to this model or become luxury, 'retro' experiences for the elite.

Tom Banks

That's the end of today's discussion. Ultimately, we don't need to outpace AI, but to educate people who can think clearly and act wisely with it. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod.

Mask

See you tomorrow. The future waits for no one.

## Summary of "Contributor: How do we prepare college students for the AI world?" This article, published by the **Los Angeles Times** on **September 1, 2025**, and authored by **J. Walter Sterling**, President of St. John's College, addresses the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on education and proposes a solution for preparing college students for an uncertain future. ### Key Findings and Conclusions: * **AI's Disruptive Impact:** The rise of AI is fundamentally altering education by making cheating effortless, dissolving attention spans, and creating uncertainty about future career paths. * **Public Division on AI in Education:** A recent NBC News poll of nearly 20,000 Americans reveals a 50/50 split on whether AI should be integrated into education or banned. * **Shifting Priorities in Higher Education:** While some advocate for STEM and AI-related job skills, a surprising number of technology leaders are advising against prioritizing coding. They emphasize the growing importance of human qualities over technical skills. * **The Value of Human Traits:** As AI capabilities advance, traits like empathy, self-awareness, genuine human connection (high EQ), wisdom, and virtue are becoming increasingly valuable. Humanity itself is presented as a "superpower" that computers cannot possess. * **Liberal Education as a Solution:** The article argues that liberal education, with its focus on deep engagement with texts, art, and scientific discoveries, is the most effective way to cultivate essential human qualities like attention, empathy, judgment, and character. * **Effectiveness of Liberal Arts Colleges:** Small liberal arts colleges, though enrolling only 4% of undergraduates, are highlighted as crucial for fostering humanistic education. They provide an environment where students grapple with foundational questions, develop critical thinking, and strengthen their ability to focus and connect. * **Resistance to AI Shortcuts:** The methods of liberal education, such as in-depth reading and discussion, are inherently resistant to AI-driven shortcuts, making it difficult to fake engagement with complex material. * **The Role of Culture:** Liberal arts colleges foster a strong, tight-knit community culture that encourages face-to-face interaction and communal thinking, acting as a "technology" to deepen minds and hearts rather than dissipate them. * **Paradoxical Preparation:** A period of relative removal from constant technological influence, as experienced in liberal arts colleges, is seen as the best preparation for a technologically saturated world. * **Alumni Testimony:** Carla Echevarria, a St. John's alumna working at Google DeepMind, attests that her liberal arts education provided her with "intellectual fearlessness," enabling her to transition into the AI field despite lacking prior knowledge. ### Key Statistics and Metrics: * **NBC News Poll:** Nearly 20,000 Americans surveyed. * **Public Opinion:** Evenly divided (approximately 50% for integration, 50% for banning AI in education). * **Undergraduate Enrollment in Liberal Arts Colleges:** Modest 4%. ### Important Recommendations: * **Embrace Liberal Education Practices:** Colleges and universities, regardless of size, should adopt and revive deeply humanizing educational practices. * **Focus on Human Qualities:** The educational system should prioritize cultivating clear thinking, wise action, and the ability to live well with others, rather than solely trying to outpace AI. * **Prioritize Moral and Interpersonal Skills:** As machines gain speed and capability, human moral and interpersonal traits become more valuable. ### Significant Trends or Changes: * **AI's Threat to Traditional Education:** AI is challenging established methods of teaching, assessment, and student learning. * **Evolving Job Landscape:** The future job market is becoming increasingly uncertain, making it difficult to prepare students for specific careers. * **Shift in Tech Leader Advice:** A growing number of technology leaders are advising against a sole focus on STEM and coding, advocating for human-centric skills. ### Notable Risks or Concerns: * **Effortless Cheating:** AI makes it easy for students to bypass genuine learning. * **Dissolving Attention Spans:** The pervasive nature of AI may contribute to reduced focus. * **Uncertainty of Future Careers:** The rapid advancement of AI makes it difficult to predict future job demands. ### Material Financial Data: * No specific financial data or figures related to the cost of education or AI development are presented in this article. ### Critical Statements: * **Chamath Palihapitiya (Investor and former Facebook executive):** "I no longer think you should learn to code. The engineer’s role will be supervisory, at best, within 18 months." * **Roman Vorel (Chief Information Officer of Honeywell):** "The future belongs to leaders with high EQs — those with empathy, self-awareness and the ability to make genuine human connections — because AI will democratize IQ." * **Daniel Kokotajlo (Co-author of “AI 2027”):** "Economic productivity is just no longer the name of the game when it comes to raising kids. What still matters is that my kids are good people — and that they have wisdom and virtue." * **Steven Levy (Technology journalist):** "You have something that no computer can ever have. It’s a superpower, and every one of you has it in abundance: your humanity." * **Carla Echevarria (1996 alumna of St. John’s and Senior Manager of User Experience at Google DeepMind):** "I would struggle with Schrödinger in senior lab and then bang my head against Hegel for a couple of hours and then weep in the library while listening to ‘Tristan und Isolde.’ That brings an intellectual fearlessness... That fearlessness is the greatest gift of the education." ### News Identifiers: * **Title:** Contributor: How do we prepare college students for the AI world? * **Author:** J. Walter Sterling * **Publisher:** Los Angeles Times * **Publication Date:** September 1, 2025 * **Topic:** Technology (specifically AI's impact on education) * **URL:** https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-09-01/college-students-ai

Read original at Los Angeles Times →

The rise of artificial intelligence is threatening the foundations of education — how we teach, how we assess and even how students learn to think. Cheating has become effortless. Attention spans are dissolving. And the future job landscape is so uncertain that we don’t know what careers to prepare students for.

A recent NBC News poll of nearly 20,000 Americans shows the public is evenly divided, with about half believing we should integrate AI into education and half believing we should ban it.So, as we welcome the Class of 2029 to our campuses, what should colleges do?Although some urge higher education to prioritize STEM fields and AI-related job skills, a surprising number of technology leaders are advising the opposite.

“I no longer think you should learn to code,” says investor and former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya. “The engineer’s role will be supervisory, at best, within 18 months.”Roman Vorel, chief information officer of Honeywell, argues that “the future belongs to leaders with high EQs — those with empathy, self-awareness and the ability to make genuine human connections — because AI will democratize IQ.

”Daniel Kokotajlo, co-author of “AI 2027,” which projects a set of scenarios leading to an “enormous” impact of superhuman AI over the next decade, puts it bluntly: “Economic productivity is just no longer the name of the game when it comes to raising kids. What still matters is that my kids are good people — and that they have wisdom and virtue.

”In other words, as machines gain in speed and capability, the most valuable human traits may not be technical but moral and interpersonal. Technology journalist Steven Levy spoke even more plainly in a recent commencement address at Temple University: “You have something that no computer can ever have.

It’s a superpower, and every one of you has it in abundance: your humanity.”It might seem like a tall order to cultivate attention, empathy, judgment and character — qualities that are hard to measure and even harder to mass-produce. Fortunately, we have an answer, one that turns out to be surprisingly ancient: liberal education.

Small liberal arts colleges may enroll only a modest 4% of our undergraduates, but they are, historically and today, our nation’s seed bank for deep and broad humanistic education.Liberal education is structured around serious engagement with texts, works of art and scientific discoveries that have shaped our understanding of truth, justice, beauty and the nature of the world.

Students don’t just absorb information — they engage in dialogue and active inquiry, learning to grapple with foundational questions. What is the good life? What is the relationship between mathematics and reality? Can reason and faith coexist? Why do music and art move us?These acts — reading, looking, listening, discussing — may sound modest, but they are powerful tools for developing the skills students most need.

Wrestling with a challenging text over hours and days strengthens attention like physical exercise builds stamina. Conversation sharpens the ability to speak and listen with care, to weigh opposing views, to connect thought with feeling. This kind of education, by deepening our understanding of ourselves and our world, cultivates wisdom — and it’s remarkably resistant to the shortcuts AI offers.

If you spent a week at the college I lead, St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M., you might forget that AI even exists. It’s hard to fake a two-hour conversation about “Don Quixote” after reading only an AI summary, and it’s awkward to continue that conversation with your friends over a meal in the dining hall.

Should you succumb to the temptations of AI in writing a paper, you’re likely to find yourself floundering in the follow-up discussion with faculty.Liberal arts colleges have one other indispensable tool for deepening learning and human connection: culture. Most are small, tight-knit communities where students and faculty know one another and ideas are exchanged face to face.

Students don’t choose these schools by default; they opt in, often for their distinctiveness. The pull of technology is less strong at these colleges, because they create intense, sustaining, unmediated experiences of communal thinking. This strong culture might be seen as a kind of technology itself — one designed not to dissipate minds and hearts, but to support and deepen them.

Paradoxically, four years largely removed from the influence of technology is one of the best ways of preparing for life and work in an increasingly technologized world.Carla Echevarria, a 1996 alumna of St. John’s and now a senior manager of user experience at Google DeepMind, admits that she would “struggle with Schrödinger in senior lab and then bang my head against Hegel for a couple of hours and then weep in the library while listening to ‘Tristan und Isolde.

’ That brings an intellectual fearlessness. “When I started working in AI, I didn’t really know anything about AI,” she adds. “I prepared for my interview by reading for a couple of weeks. That fearlessness is the greatest gift of the education.” Many alums echo this belief regardless of the fields they go into.

As we head into this school year and into a future shaped by powerful and unpredictable machines, the best preparation may not be a new invention, but an old discipline. We don’t need a thousand new small colleges, but we need a thousand of our colleges and universities, large and small, to embrace an overdue renaissance of these deeply humanizing educational practices.

We don’t need to outpace AI — we need to educate people who can think clearly, act wisely and live well with others.J. Walter Sterling is the president of St. John’s College, with campuses in Annapolis, Md., and Santa Fe, N.M. More to Read