SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Artificial intelligence is affecting jobs and is expected to eliminate others as the technology evolves.
Utah universities are adapting and making changes to help students prepare for jobs and careers that could be transformed by the time they graduate.
At Southern Utah University, seniors Livy and Collin Englebright are preparing to graduate with hands-on experience. Livy runs her own wedding photography business, while Colin works in marketing. Both say they can already see how AI is changing their fields.
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“I don’t think my job will be eliminated, but I think it has already been changed,” Collin said.
Another SUU senior, Miriah Salee, said she changed her major and career path after realizing how quickly AI tools could eliminate her job as a graphic designer.
“It’s nerve-wracking because a lot of things you can just throw into Canva, and my job would be eliminated as a graphic designer.”
Now, she’s studying art education and hopes to teach digital arts at the high school or middle school level. She anticipates using AI as a teaching tool, but doesn’t think AI will replace her as a teacher.
Kristy Morgan, vice president for Career Success at SUU, said the rise of AI has created uncertainty for many students.
“It’s creating a lot of confusion around jobs,” Morgan said.
Still, she thinks universities are the best place to prepare students for changes coming to the workplace because of AI.
“College is still the best place to prepare young people by teaching them critical thinking, relational skills, and how to manage the ethical and moral questions created by AI,” she said.
Morgan said most SUU students are aiming for creative or leadership roles that are more likely to be augmented by AI rather than replaced entirely.
SUU is also training faculty on how to integrate AI responsibly into coursework. The university is developing a minor and certificate in AI ethics to help students explore the technology’s broader impact.
“Students aren’t necessarily concerned about using AI; they’re more concerned about the big questions — how do we engage with this, and how is it good for society?” Morgan said.
At Weber State University, faculty are asking similar questions as they build new degrees and programs focused on artificial intelligence.
Kyle Feuz, head of Weber State’s School of Computing, said AI has forced major changes in how computer science is taught.
“It’s caused massive shifts in how we are teaching our courses,” he said.
Freshmen in computer science still learn programming fundamentals without AI tools, but by junior and senior year, students are encouraged to use AI as a “coding assistant” — just as they would in the workplace.
“You have to know how code works to make effective use of the tool. By the time they’re upperclassmen, we want them to work alongside AI, because that’s what they’ll be doing in industry,” Feuz said.
Feuz said many students worry about whether their skills will remain relevant in a rapidly changing field, but he believes AI will enhance rather than eliminate opportunities.
He reminded students that computer science is always changing as new technologies emerge. AI represents yet another change, and he is confident computer scientists will adapt yet again.
“It’ll be a partnership of humans assisted by AI. The things we’ll be able to do are probably beyond what we can imagine,” he said.
The University of Utah recently announced that its School of Business will launch a new AI minor available to all undergraduate students starting next fall.
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