Landing that first job may be getting more difficult, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) could be part of the reason why.
A Stanford University study indicates while AI is not yet causing widespread job losses, it is influencing the labor market. Entry-level white-collar positions, in particular, could become harder to secure as businesses increasingly adopt AI tools.
Dr. Hrishikesh Desai, director of Arkansas State University’s Master of Accountancy with Data Analytics and Applied AI program, said the university is actively addressing these challenges by integrating AI into its curriculum.
“Universities and academics will have to teach students how to self-learn something using AI. And that is what we’ve done,” Desai said. “We’ve integrated AI throughout our curriculum, and it’s kind of at an applied level. So, we want students to try to prompt AI and use it for a wide range of applications.”
According to Desai, AI isn’t just making some work redundant—it’s also enhancing productivity, particularly among skilled workers.
“It’s taking the medium-skilled and the highly skilled workers and kind of making them even better,” he said. “It’s improving their productivity.”
Stanford research supports these claims. Instead of simply replacing jobs, many companies are leveraging AI to assist employees in completing their tasks more efficiently. The research suggests that those with less experience may see as much as a 30% boost in productivity through AI-driven tools.
As the integration of AI progresses, Desai emphasized the importance of adapting to these technological shifts.
“I would say the way to approach this is not to freak out,” he said. “Keep learning, keep getting certifications in AI, and keep trying to upskill using different AI tools. Try to integrate different forms of AI in your life.”
Desai believes AI is far from a passing trend and expects its influence to endure. He noted that institutions like Arkansas State are already incorporating AI into degree programs to prepare students and professionals for the evolving workplace.
“I would say this is going to stick around, because I think it’s completely revolutionary,” he remarked. “At Arkansas State, we changed our Master of Accountancy degree to incorporate Applied AI.”
Still, Desai cautioned against over-reliance on AI, explaining that the technology is not without its flaws. Instances of AI generating incorrect or misleading information—referred to as “hallucinations”—can lead to errors if not closely monitored. He noted an example of one of his students encountering such an issue with an AI tool when tackling an accounting problem.
“It hallucinated,” Desai said. “It kept giving her wrong answers, even though she was prompting the tool, trying to tell that tool, ‘Okay, you are heading in the wrong direction.’”
Desai underscored the importance of verifying AI-generated results and tailoring its use depending on the job.
For students and job seekers, he advocated a balanced strategy: continuing to learn, experimenting with AI, and maintaining a critical eye on its outputs.
“We are going to live with this for a long time,” Desai said. “The key is how we respond to the changes it brings.”