My high school seniors have been on my mind a lot recently. As they prepare to select colleges and graduate from our school, I am wondering what life and work will be like five years from now when many of them graduate from universities. I expect the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) to be immense on our society over this time frame. Will their current occupational pursuits be open to them in five years? Will they have changed? What new skills will they need to successfully navigate a productive future?

I have made it a point to talk with college and university representatives about these questions in order to get a sense of how higher education is approaching this challenge. As a result, three questions for students to ask their prospective colleges have settled in my mind, and I am encouraging my seniors to ask these questions:

1. What are your AI policies/strategies?: Students should have a sense in advance of how AI is being used, what is prohibited and why, and how an institution plans to adapt over the time of their studies.
2. Are trained AI tutoring chatbots available for students?: We are now entering an era where there is some preliminary research indicating that AI chatbots lead to greater learning achievement at the college level. In addition, a recent article published by Grand Canyon University highlights some of the power of targeted chatbots they have created to meet individual needs. While the research on this topic is minimal so far, if the initial findings hold, students will want to improve their learning and achievement with trained chatbots designed specifically for their academic growth.
3. How will you help me show future employers that I am competent in using AI?: Since employers are seeking workers in greater numbers that have AI experience (and will no doubt have accelerated five years from now), one can assess a college’s commitment to preparing you for the future workforce and equipping you with the necessary AI skills.

You can be assured that AI is on the radar of virtually every institution at the moment. I believe that these questions can help students make informed decisions and position themselves for future success.