Technological advancement has always been driven by human creativity seeking to increase efficiencies and improve the quality of life within communities. This has been true from the wheel in antiquity to the steam engine’s emergence to the invention of automobiles and the development of the personal computer and the internet in the 20th Century. Each of these innovations has resulted in significant changes in the types of work people do to earn a living and the skills and knowledge workers need to be successful. 

In recent years, a new transformative technology has emerged: artificial intelligence(AI). AI has dominated news during the past few years with the public release of ChatGPT that was followed by the release of several other high profile AI options. And, like previous technologies before it, AI is reaching the point where it is changing nearly all industries and its impact is only going to accelerate for the foreseeable future. Now is the time for districts to take stock of how to shift educational systems in order to ensure that their college and career readiness approach is preparing students for this new “Age of AI.”

Concerns that AI will Replace Human Workers

As with many new transformational technologies, an initial response is often one of hesitation and fear. A common concern is that AI will replace human workers in the economy of the future, leaving many without a way to make a sustainable living–upending many common career-readiness programs of the past. It is certainly true that AI will replace certain types of work, but as with previous advancements, there will be new forms of work made available and new skills needed in order to successfully integrate this technology. 

As districts and schools grapple with how to prepare their students to be career-ready when the exact nature of that landscape is still emerging, it is crucial that they build in skills training and development based on projections of AI integration and that they have processes in place to adjust their programs more frequently to keep up with rapid advancements than was needed in the past. Schools and districts must adjust the skills and knowledge that every student needs, the types of college and career preparation students need depending on their interests, and the kinds of career pathways that schools should be offering to maximize student opportunity in the future. 

Teaching Students to Use AI Productively

In order to modernize CCR districts to meet this future, districts should consider implementing ways to build students' understanding of what AI is and opportunities to gain experience using it. Unlike library or internet search skills–which require students to find and consume verifiable information sources in order for them to then write a paper or do other homework–AI is more akin to a colleague that can help do work rather than a stand-alone resource. 

Because of this, understanding what AI is and how to interact with it is a new universal skill for students. Students, at every grade level, in a developmentally appropriate way, can benefit from understanding what this new colleague can do to support their efforts, when and how they should engage with it in order to be career-ready. Students, regardless of career field, will need to know how to ask AI questions in productive and nuanced ways–referred to as “prompt engineering.” As part of this work, too, students need to understand the ethics, limitations, and challenges that come with AI. Schools and districts can create this guidance as they develop their own AI policies and curriculum.

College and career readiness skills for all service, trade, and knowledge based professions are also being impacted by AI. Writing computer code, undertaking financial transactions, providing and documenting medical services, and implementing HVAC systems all now require interfacing with both software systems that have been supplemented with AI capabilities. Schools and districts can find ways to embed learning AI skills within these more traditional course pathways so students are able to develop AI skills that are specifically aligned with their passions and intended pursuits for their postsecondary life.

Districts Cannot Ignore AI

College and career readiness now requires that students know the advantages and risks that are associated with AI in the real-world today. Using AI features in Microsoft Office applications and the Google or Apple suites of personal productivity is different from using a generative AI tool such as Chat GPT, Gemini, or Claude. Teaching students this diversity of skills including how different fields are using AI is going to take significant work by superintendents, curriculum designers, principals, teachers, and counselors. But this work is critical and cannot be postponed in order to actually ensure students are ready for the future they will meet beyond graduation. Administrators and educators can approach this work by learning alongside students as they discover how to maximize the possibilities and benefits of AI, while learning safe and responsible use. The reality is that the AI future is now. And we need to prepare our students for it. 

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