AI/ML, Employability and Higher Education - Roundup 28 Apr 2025

Recent research into AI’s cognitive processes suggests that current AI models, despite their impressive capabilities, are far from achieving human-like reasoning or general intelligence. This revelation has important implications for universities in preparing students for a future workforce where AI’s role will be significant but potentially more limited than previously thought.

This week there is one article to highlight.

• Mims (2025) argues that AI models, rather than developing human-like reasoning, are actually operating on vast “bags of heuristics” or problem-solving shortcuts. This insight is crucial for educators and students to understand the current limitations of AI and how it might impact future job roles and skill requirements.

The article challenges the prevailing narrative of imminent human-level AI, suggesting instead that current AI models, while impressive, are fundamentally limited in their cognitive processes. This perspective underscores the continued importance of human skills in the workforce and highlights the need for education that emphasizes adaptability, critical thinking, and domain expertise alongside technological literacy.

1. Changes in the broader labour market: Educators must prepare students for a job market where AI’s capabilities are significant but not all-encompassing. Mims (2025) suggests that AI’s limitations in flexible reasoning and generalization mean that human workers will still be essential in roles requiring adaptability and complex problem-solving.

2. Changes in jobs and tasks: The article implies that while AI can perform impressive feats in specific domains, it struggles with tasks requiring generalization or adaptation to new scenarios. Educators should focus on developing students’ abilities to work alongside AI, leveraging its strengths while compensating for its weaknesses in areas like contextual understanding and flexible problem-solving.

3. Types of study for students: Given the insights from Mims (2025), students should be encouraged to develop strong critical thinking skills, adaptability, and domain-specific knowledge. While understanding AI tools is important, the focus should be on cultivating uniquely human capabilities such as creative problem-solving, ethical reasoning, and the ability to navigate complex, ever-changing scenarios that AI currently struggles with.

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