Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Joseph E. Aoun. He holds a masters in Oriental Languages and Literature at the Université Saint-Joseph and a PhD in Linguistics at MIT. He joined the University of Southern California in 1982 as a Linguistics Professor. Currently he is serving as the 7th president of Northeastern University.
The automation of jobs was certainly a threat to low-skilled workers in the 1980s. Today the advancement of Artificial Intelligence is certainly empowering systems and robots to confront knowledge workers in traditionally highly-skilled jobs with the same threat. In fact, this includes jobs that focused on high tech skills including interpreting medical images, legal research, and analyzing data.
So, how can higher education prepare students for a career as Artificial Intelligence is surging across markets? Dr. Aoun is advancing the idea that a way to educate current college students is to invent, create, and discover needs across society that Artificial Intelligence cannot currently address.
Therefore, he is introducing a position to create a mindset that he called humanics. This framework builds upon education models that prepare students to enter a workforce with robots and smart machines working alongside them. This includes computer literacy
Accordingly, he points to the development of IBM Watson in cancer research. This provided oncologists with faster diagnosis and efficient treatment plans. Then Watson moved from hospitals to the New York City Public School system. Watson has been advising teachers on effective teaching practices based upon Artificial Intelligence.
Gig workers for the Gig Economy?
This is not a solution for the Gig Economy however. As many have pointed out previously, The gig economy is just a series of freelance tasks including driving for Uber. These are not long term jobs. So many must re-skill themselves to secure good paying, long term jobs.
Chapter 2: Views from the C-Suite
Dr. Aoun portrays the high school teenager earning $10 per hour as a Target cashier. This teenager use a smartphone assembled in Shenzen, China by workers earning $17 per day. The cashier is also wearing pants made in a Bangladeshi garment factory by workers earning as little as $70 per month.
However, inexpensive consumption has its own price. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics listing of the 30 fastest-growing professions, only 12 fall within a salary range that would meet the definition of middle class income.
In addition, some technology careers will provide above middle class lives: computer software and systems software engineering, database administrators, computer systems analysts, and network systems analysts. Yet, the growing need for home and personal care aides fall short of salaries in the middle class. This reminds me of Matt Ridley’s How Innovation Works.
Dr. Aoun is also addressing the long history of Northeastern’s Co-op model which began around 1910. That model remains in place today and Northeastern has high tech educational co-ops on the West Coast and classes with employees working in silicon valley. He points to a multi-university network as a solution to confront AI robots and smart machines.
In conclusion, this book is an interesting read for colleges and universities. Dr Aoun has ideas and perhaps Northeastern’s plans can gain footing across the country. It will be a challenging future for higher education.