Generative AI is already changing the Texas job market, and new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas suggests recent college graduates in some fields are feeling the impact.
The report determined that since the launch of AI programs like ChatGPT in 2022, graduates from majors more exposed to AI experienced a 1.7 percent decline, compared to graduates from less exposed majors.
Majors identified as more exposed include computer science, computer engineering and languages. Nursing, education, and psychology were among the fields identified as less exposed.
The study also found that among those who did find jobs earned about five percent less compared to graduates from less exposed majors.
At UT Arlington, Dr. Amy Hodges said higher education has an important role in helping students develop what she described as durable skills.
“I work in communication, social sciences, and humanities. And so, we’ve been teaching these kinds of durable skills for a long time,” Hodges said. “So, these sorts of durable skills of working with AI, complementing what it can do and adding two additional levels of oversight, responsibility, ethics. Those kinds of things are the things I think in higher education and especially in social sciences, humanities fields that we’re really working on these days.”
The fast-moving AI technologies have also raised questions for employers and policymakers about what makes a new hire ready for the workforce.
During a Texas Senate Economic Development Committee hearing, Senator Angela Paxton discussed the importance of students learning workplace expectations and culture in addition to the technical skills required for a particular role.
“As I’ve talked to employers in my district, they’re one of the things they’re dealing with, with new employees are the things that maybe you used to learn in your family. Like, if you’re going to be late to work, you’re supposed to call. If you’re going to take a day off, you actually have to ask permission. You can’t just do it,” Paxton said.
Some universities are responding by incorporating AI literacy into existing programs rather than treating AI as a subject limited to technology-focused majors.
The Dallas Fed report notes that Texas students can now enroll in courses designed to build AI literacy, including courses focused on AI model design and deployment.
To read the full report, click here.