If you traveled back to the year 2000 and introduced yourself as a social media manager, prompt engineer or brand influencer, you would be met with blank stares. In 2025, the roles were deemed ordinary. If we instead look forward to 25 years from now, the difference will not just be in what jobs we do but who—or what—is doing them. What would traveling to 2050 look like? Would you encounter jobs, departments or entire sectors that are unrecognizable? Resoundingly, yes. What will the job market look like after the true arrival of AI across industries? Will college exist in 2050?
College as We Know It Will Not Endure
I believe that college, as we know it today, will not exist in 2050. That is because the impact of AI will forever transform industries and the nature of work. In turn, higher education must evolve to produce graduates to meet the massive opportunities that AI represents. Maybe, then, “What will college look like in 2050?” is a more worthwhile question to ponder.
Technology is always progressing and disrupting. Accidental technological breakthroughs, unforeseeable shifts, refitting and repurposing are inevitable. AI will be groundbreaking and perhaps a little startling, yet we have seen this story before.
Lessons From the Information Age
The internet did not kill commerce; it forced brick-and-mortar to evolve into omnichannel experiences. It didn’t kill communication; it accelerated it. Now, artificial intelligence—truly the new digital—stands poised to do the same.
The Information Age thrust new jobs into the spotlight, changed the complexion of industries and spawned new ones altogether. Education changed dramatically to accommodate the shifting demands of societies and economies. Digitization had its growing pains and introduced fear and friction, but institutions adjusted.
AI Is Advancing Faster Than Our Timelines
Given that AI has outpaced many expert predictions over the last few years, it is reasonable to expect that twenty years from now it will be extraordinarily capable. Resistance to change is futile. We are already past the point of return. The United Nations projects the global AI industry will surge from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion by 2033. We cannot uninvent artificial intelligence, nor can we put the genie back in the bottle.
Contrary to dystopian portrayals in popular culture, AI will not sideline humans from meaningful work. In fact, it may enable more fulfilling work. According to the World Economic Forum, net employment is projected to grow, with 170 million new roles emerging alongside 92 million displaced by automation.
Education Must Transform Alongside Work
As jobs transform, education must transform with them. As we closed out 2025, higher education reached a complex and uneasy moment. Faculty have valid concerns as students experiment with AI tools as shortcuts, but this is a temporary friction point. Hitting the brakes is not an option. We must learn to steer.
If the internet democratized information, AI democratizes knowledge. Its power enables individuals and organizations to tackle problems previously beyond reach. This shifts higher education’s role from transferring knowledge to cultivating wisdom and human-centered innovation.
The Growing Value of Human Skills
Employers increasingly prioritize collaboration, communication, ethical reasoning and leadership. Infinite intelligence is meaningless without people who can apply it thoughtfully.
Higher education in 2050 must place greater emphasis on durable human skills. Just as calculators freed mathematicians to solve more complex problems, AI may liberate workers to pursue higher-level thinking and innovation.
Why Higher Education Will Matter More, Not Less
In 2050, higher learning will remain as relevant as it is today—if not more so. As automation absorbs routine entry-level tasks, expectations for early-career professionals will rise.
McKinsey estimates that more than 60 percent of occupations could see a significant portion of tasks automated. PwC similarly finds that nearly every job will be reshaped, not replaced. Demand for technical, ethical and interpersonal skills will accelerate.
Higher education plays a critical role in preparing graduates to channel automation’s potential toward societal good.
Reframing AI as an Opportunity
This is not about accepting defeat. It is about refusing to settle. Education leaders must renew their mission with a clear understanding of AI’s potential. Institutions cannot afford complacency. Proactively anticipating how AI reshapes work provides a roadmap for how education must evolve.
College will remain essential for reskilling and upskilling across a lifetime. Education must harness students’ intuitive capabilities and sharpen their ability to apply the intelligence AI provides.
What This Looks Like in Practice
At DeVry University, this shift is already underway. AI fluency is embedded directly into every course, not as a standalone topic but as a practical capability applied responsibly within each discipline.
At the same time, we emphasize the human skills AI cannot replicate: collaboration, communication, ethical reasoning and judgment. These are developed through project-based learning, applied problem solving and experiential education. Hands-on experience is no longer a differentiator; it is foundational.
The Human Advantage in an Automated World
As AI handles routine analysis, drafting, and coordination, people will step into roles centered on ethics, strategy and big-picture thinking. Employers will increasingly value graduates who demonstrate leadership, relationship-building and sound judgment informed by data.
So-called people skills will no longer be optional. Even entry-level roles in 2050 will carry higher expectations than those of today.
Education’s Enduring Role
We must resist both the doom-and-gloom narratives that predict economic collapse and the belief that AI is a cure-all. AI is a powerful vehicle, but progress depends on skilled drivers. College may not exist in 2050 as we recognize it today, but education, done well, will matter more than ever.
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