Two years ago, Josephine Timperman arrived at college with a plan. She declared a major in business analytics, figuring she’d learn niche skills that would stand out on a resume and after college.
But the has scrambled those calculations. The basic skills she was learning in things like statistical analysis and coding can now easily be automated. 鈥淓veryone has a fear that entry-level jobs will be taken by AI,鈥� said the 20-year-old at Miami University in Ohio.
A few weeks ago, Timperman switched her major to marketing. Her new strategy is to use her undergraduate studies to build critical thinking and interpersonal skills 鈥� areas where humans still have an edge.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 just want to be able to code. You want to be able to have a conversation, form relationships and be able to think critically, because at the end of the day, that鈥檚 the thing that AI can鈥檛 replace,鈥� said Timperman, who is keeping analytics as a minor and plans to dive deeper into the subject for a one-year master鈥檚 program.
Today鈥檚 college students say that picking a major that鈥檚 鈥淎I-proof鈥� feels like shooting at a moving target as they prepare for a job market that could be fundamentally different by the time they graduate.
As a result, many are reconsidering their career paths. About 70% of college students see AI as a threat to their job prospects, according to a 2025 poll by the at the Harvard Kennedy School, while recent U.S. workers are increasingly concerned about being replaced by new technologies.
Students seeking majors that teach 鈥榟uman鈥� skills
The uncertainty appears most concentrated among those pursuing degrees in technology and vocational areas of study, where students feel a need to develop expertise in AI but also fear being replaced by it. A found the vast majority of Americans believe it鈥檚 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渟omewhat鈥� important for college and university students to be taught how to use AI, as Gallup Workforce polling finds AI is getting at higher rates. Meanwhile, students studying healthcare and natural sciences may be less impacted by AI overhauls, Gallup found.
鈥淲e see students all the time change majors. That鈥檚 not new or different. But it鈥檚 usually for a ton of different reasons,鈥� said Courtney Brown, a vice president at Lumina, an education nonprofit focused on increasing the number of students who seek education beyond high school. 鈥淭he fact that so many students say it鈥檚 because of AI 鈥� that is startling.鈥�
A youth and adults, between the ages of 14 and 29, found increasing skepticism and concerns about AI. Although half of Gen Z adults use AI at least 鈥渨eekly,鈥� and teenagers report higher use, many in this generation see drawbacks to the technology and worry about AI’s impact on their cognitive abilities and job prospects. About half 鈥� 48% 鈥� of Gen Z workers say the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh the possible benefits.
Part of the challenge for college students is that the experts they would typically turn to for advice, like advisers, professors and parents, don鈥檛 have any answers. 鈥淪tudents are having to navigate this on their own, without a GPS,鈥� says Brown.
That uncertainty was evident last month at Stanford University, where the leaders of several prominent universities gathered for a wide-ranging panel discussion on the future of higher education. Topics of concern included the AI revolution that is transforming and forcing educators to .
鈥淲e need to think really hard about what students need to learn to be successful in the job market in 10, 20, 30 years,鈥� said Brown University President Christina Paxson.
鈥淎nd none of us know. We don鈥檛 know the answer to that,鈥� Paxson said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 communication, it鈥檚 critical thought. The fundamentals of a liberal education are probably more important than learning how to code in Java right now.鈥�
Anxiety also reaches computer science majors
Computer science major Ben Aybar, 22, graduated last spring from the University of Chicago and applied for about 50 jobs, mostly in software engineering, without getting a single interview. He pivoted to a master鈥檚 degree in computer science and meanwhile has found part-time work doing AI consulting for companies.
鈥淧eople who know how to use AI will be very valuable,鈥� said Aybar, who sees new jobs emerging that require AI skills, particularly for people who can explain the complexities in layman’s terms. 鈥淏eing able to talk to people and interact with people in a very human way I think is more valuable than ever.鈥�
At the University of Virginia, data science major Ava Lawless is wondering if her major is worthwhile but can鈥檛 get concrete answers. Some advisers feel that data scientists will be safe because they鈥檙e the ones building AI models, but she keeps seeing gloomy job reports that indicate the contrary.
鈥淚t makes me feel a bit hopeless for the future,鈥� Lawless said. 鈥淲hat if by the time I graduate there鈥檚 not even a job market for this anymore?鈥�
She is considering switching to studio art, which is her minor.
鈥淚鈥檓 at a point where I鈥檓 thinking if I can鈥檛 get a job being a data scientist, I might as well pursue art,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause if I鈥檓 going to be unemployed, I might as well do something I love.鈥�
___
The Associated Press鈥� education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
