Universities must adapt quickly to AI to preserve the value of a college degree
Universities that are slow to adapt risk a cascade of further problems. If students continue to use AI to elide cognitive friction, they will fail to master the material and enhance their skill sets. A hollowed-out education then threatens the credential’s credibility.
The public is already concerned: 46 percent of respondents in a July 2026 Gallup poll expected AI to make degrees less important over the next five years. AI could make degrees less important by providing motivated learners inexpensive alternatives with the chance to learn at an accelerated pace.
[RELATED: MIT calls for faster curriculum changes as AI completes coursework]
Cheaper AI alternatives could dampen student demand right when public confidence in higher education has already cratered. Merely 36 percent of adults with a bachelor’s degree expressed having at least “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. Among all respondents with lower confidence, perceived political agendas, and high costs were the leading reasons. And these considerations exert negative pressures on demand amid a shrinking pool of potential college students due to demographic reasons.
The barbell strategy requires more human interaction, which requires more staff time. But perhaps AI could help finance the costs with savings elsewhere.
