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To Prepare Students for the A.I. Age, Invest in International Education

As universities race to prepare students for an A.I.-driven workforce, they should not overlook an older form of education: international experience. Global education can build the adaptability, cultural fluency and judgment that is becoming more valuable in the workplace.

As college students prepare for the start of the new academic year, many are worrying about their future employability in a world that is constantly being reshaped by A.I. Universities share this concern by revising curricula to include more technology training and helping students develop fluency with increasingly powerful tools. This is a clear-eyed and necessary response. However, what strikes me is that these efforts may be backward. If A.I. can provide technical knowledge, generate data analyses, write code and summarize information, then what competencies will become more valuable precisely because machines cannot replicate them? Universities should be investing more heavily in the capabilities that remain distinctly human: sound judgment, adaptability, communication, and the ability to build relationships.

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These skills will become a greater source of competitive advantage in an A.I.-driven economy. The challenge for higher education institutions and companies, then, is not simply to teach students and young adults how to use the latest technology. It is to prepare them to operate effectively when technology cannot provide a complete answer: navigating unfamiliar situations, understanding different perspectives, earning trust, collaborating across cultures and making judgment calls when there is no clear playbook. International education, whether through a study abroad program, an international internship or another structured experience abroad, should be a key part of that preparation.  

International education has often been positioned as an enrichment opportunity that is valuable, certainly, but separate from the “real” work of preparing students for careers. That distinction has become difficult to justify.........

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