“Young adults are scared and unprepared for the AI revolution upending their early career choices and prospects,” Axios reports.
“They tell pollsters they’re frightened, even angry, about AI’s fast arrival. They’re rightly unnerved by a tough job market for college grads. And most aren’t remotely equipped by schools to be AI-savvy.”
“This is a growing problem for just about everyone—kids, educators, employers, and politicians.”
Fear of AI for young adults comes from a combination of psychological, social, and financial factors. The fear may stem from rational thought or simply the way that AI is being represented.
Naturally, uncertainty surrounding the future — particularly employment — is a huge driver. Young adults are either beginning their career or preparing to begin. In addition to uncertainty surrounding their own employability, many young adults are concerned because they’ve heard that AI could potentially replace many types of jobs, including writing, programming, graphic design, and possibly even entry-level positions.
Additionally, there’s a sense of losing control. AI is a black box. Users generally don’t know how the system operates; however, they can see the results. Therefore, users can easily come up with the worst possible outcomes. As mentioned before, this is a typical human reaction to new technology that is perceived as complex.
Media and cultural representation also play a large role. Movies and television programs, along with news articles, frequently depict extreme consequences of AI, such as “AI takes over,” “deepfakes,” “misinformation,” and “surveillance.” While these representations may not provide a fair assessment of the potential benefits of AI, they tend to resonate longer in our psyche than balanced discussions of the benefits.
Therefore, a lot of fear related to AI is further amplified through media and culture.
But a healthy mindset can replace fear.
Rather than focusing on whether or not we should be fearful of AI, recent college grads should ask themselves, “How can I remain relevant and in control as artificial intelligence continues to evolve?”
This typically involves learning how various AI tools function beyond basic usage, building abilities that AI lacks (i.e., judgment), and becoming flexible in terms of adapting to changes versus remaining fixed on one specific career path.
And it’s not like there aren’t any JOBS
The type of job recent college graduates can enter has changed.
Companies want to hire someone who will contribute right away and not have to train them from scratch. As a result, many “entry-level” positions today require some combination of both skills/experience (in many cases, internships or projects). And routine tasks are being replaced by technology and artificial intelligence; however, entire careers won’t be displaced. Only a small percentage of jobs will likely be significantly disrupted by the rapid development and implementation of AI over the next few years.
Predictions for 2026-2028
Will it be harder to land your first job?
Yes.
Will it be impossible to develop a career?
No
Biggest risk?
Becoming generic.
The students who are having trouble are and will be the following:
- Relying solely on their degree
- Blindly applying for jobs online.
- Are not utilizing the productivity tools created through artificial intelligence.
The students who are succeeding are:
- Showing evidence of past accomplishments (portfolios/internship/work).
- Utilizing technology/AI as a way to increase productivity.
- Engaging in extensive networking activities (more so than before).
Bottom line
It’s a tougher market, not a broken one.
A useful way to think about it: The floor has risen (minimum expectations are higher), but the ceiling has also risen (more opportunity if you adapt).
