In every era of human progress, technology has reshaped the way people live and work. The printing press democratised knowledge, electricity powered new industries, and the internet rewired economies across the globe.
Today, we stand at another inflection point: generative artificial intelligence (AI).
It does not automate or accelerate efficiency, as did earlier technologies, but it creates, collaborates, and tests against traditional ideas about intelligence and imagination. For students preparing to enter tomorrow’s workforce, this shift means their future careers may not yet have a name, let alone a defined job description.
The question is no longer whether generative AI will transform work or not, but it is that how we can be prepared for the next generation to thrive in a world of constant reinvention.
Generative AI as a disruptor and enabler
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, and Gemini have already demonstrated their ability to transform industries. They can draft business plans, design graphics, generate computer code, compose music, or simulate scientific models within minutes. What once required hours of specialised expertise can now be achieved with a well-crafted prompt.
While some fear this democratisation of capability may replace traditional roles, others see it as an enabler, making humans free of those repetitive tasks and giving them the space to focus on innovation, problem-solving, building strategy and focusing on the big picture.
Education’s contribution to future-proofing students
Education must scale up to bridge the gap between today’s classrooms and tomorrow’s workforce. The curricula must be updated to meet the ever-evolving industry standards and integrate AI literacy across disciplines.
For instance, students pursuing Business should learn prompt engineering, those pursuing Humanities should examine the ethics of AI, and Engineers should explore the societal impact of automation as well.
Project-based learning will play a key role, encouraging students to collaborate across fields and apply AI tools to real-world challenges. Stronger industry–university partnerships can provide exposure to emerging technologies and align learning with market needs.
Finally, lifelong learning must become the norm. With jobs evolving rapidly, adaptability and continuous upskilling are no longer optional—they are essential career skills.
The human element: Ethics and empathy
Although generative AI raises major moral issues. Whose fault is it if AI-written material propagates false information? Must AI-generated art be accounted for as original work? As we train students for careers that don’t yet exist, we’ll also need to train them for these kinds of conundrums. Ethics, philosophy, and law courses will be just as important as computer science or engineering.
At the same time, we must also keep in mind that human judgment, value, and empathy cannot be replaced by any machine. As industries embrace AI, human-oriented jobs, such as in counselling, healthcare, leadership, and diplomacy, will remain in great demand. The workplace tomorrow is not human versus machine; rather, it is human-machine collaboration.
A future of possibilities
Generative AI can be considered as a catalyst and not a destination. It will produce an entirely new line of work, from AI-driven agriculture to immersive entertainment design, and reinterpret old ones. The new workforce must be skilled with the latest tech and educated enough to adapt, unlearn, and relearn.
The future is built by those who accept change. We cannot predict the exact jobs that the future has in store, but we can best prepare students for them. Generative AI ensures that the future of work will continue to be in flux, yet if we prepare our students today, they can be the creators and inventors of tomorrow, charting industries and opportunities yet to be dreamed up.
[Article by Prof Prakash Gopalan, President, NIIT University. Views expressed are his own.]