High School Students Say AI Will Change the Workforce

Key points:

With the rapid rise of generative ai, nearly one in two high school students surveyed believe the workforce as we know it today will undergo a major transformation, a new global survey shows.

More than 48 percent of respondents believe hard skills will become less important and soft skills, such as reasoning and creativity, will increase in demand, according to the Philadelphia-based company's March survey. Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

As a result, 28 percent of students said workers will need to learn new skills to thrive in the new ai workplace, and more than two-thirds are looking to their schools to help position them for future success.

The survey surveyed 825 11th and 12th graders across the United States and sixth graders in England and Wales to get their opinion on the impact of generative ai on their studies and future careers. The students between 16 and 18 years old surveyed participate in this year's edition. MathWorks Mathematical Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge), an intensive annual Internet-based mathematical modeling competition organized by SIAM.

When asked what best reflects their thoughts on generative ai, the majority (47 percent) stated that they are concerned that it will be difficult for students of the future to reach their full potential in a world of generative ai, relying more on the technology than of their own capabilities. About 40 percent said generative ai will change the world as we know it today, impacting nearly every industry and career, and that it will become increasingly important to master generative ai tools to succeed academically and in the workforce. from the future.

Nearly half of the students surveyed expressed some level of concern about the potential loss of jobs in the future workforce due to certain roles becoming automated or obsolete. Only 19 percent believe the ai ​​workforce of the future will offer greater productivity as people work faster and smarter.

“The survey shows that many students feel they need to take steps now to prepare for an evolving workplace,” said Dr. Karen Bliss, SIAM Senior Manager of Education and Outreach.

Schools can do more

To that end, Bliss explained that most respondents look to their schools for help and guidance, with 68 percent saying their school is not doing enough to prepare students for the future world of ai.

How can high schools prepare students for the future world of ai? The majority (62 percent) of respondents suggested that schools offer guidance on the ethics of ai use, including limits related to the creation, misuse, and plagiarism of ai content.

Other recommendations included that schools provide hands-on training on how to more effectively use generative ai tools for academics (58 percent), teach the limitations of ai as it relates to academics (41 percent), and help identify careers that can be, or are less. It is likely to be disrupted by ai so that students can plan their academic future accordingly (38 percent).

“Interestingly, one in five students would like schools to offer extracurricular activities to improve their ai skills and experience, while almost the same number think it would be helpful if teachers made the use of generative ai tools mandatory in schools. tasks,” Bliss said.

Other survey findings

As many math teachers fight for the place of generative ai in the math classroom, the survey asked respondents what they thought about the topic. Nearly half (46 percent) said they think math skills will become more important with the growth of generative ai, while 26 percent said they don't think it will have much of an effect.

Of the students who predicted that math skills would gain importance in the future, 68 percent explained that effective use of ai still requires human reasoning and that those with a good understanding of math are more likely to succeed. Others said that as the field of ai continues to grow, there will be more demand for mathematicians to develop ai tools and systems (56 percent) and that data analysis is an important part of using ai, a skill honed for mathematics studies (52 percent). .

“With the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence tools, these are exciting times for mathematics and computer science, as we will be able to address a broader range of problems more efficiently,” said Dr. Kathleen Kavanagh, director of the Institute of Clarkson University STEM Education. and an M3 Challenge judge. “ai can certainly help with some tasks, but it cannot replace critical thinking, logical reasoning, creativity and problem-solving skills. “Now more than ever, students need to pay attention in math classes and develop those skills so they can successfully navigate a complex and rapidly changing world.”

This press release originally appeared online.