[T]he multinational technology consulting company, Cognizant, is very public about its interest in humanities graduates. Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S recently shared with Fortune that in his opinion, AI will empower those more able to find and define problems, not just solve them. “Intelligence is not the asymmetry. Applying intelligence is the asymmetry. Start to focus on interdisciplinary skills,” he said….
We are entering an era of work where generating huge amounts information is easy, fast and cheap. But that abundance comes with two serious challenges: First, is the information true—can we stake our reputations on it? And second, what does it mean?
Having people trained in close reading, critical thinking and interpretation working alongside programmers and engineers will be essential in the very near future. Graduates in disciplines like history, literature and philosophy are comfortable with ambiguity and contested meaning; they know how to detect bias, contradictions and narrative gaps in large blocks of text….
McKinsey’s Global Institute 2025 jobs and automation report makes the startling claim that our current robotics and AI technology could automate more than half of all U.S. work hours, representing, “…about 40 percent of total U.S. wages.”
What remains? Manual work that can’t yet be done by robots, and activities that require nuanced interpersonal skills. These particular qualities—social and emotional intelligence—are the hardest to teach in workshops or acquire on the job. They require learning by doing and years of practice.
Fortunately, there is a group of people who have already put in the time and hard work. Performing artists—actors, dancers, musicians—are trained in communication, presence, improvisation, and collaboration under pressure….
More than a few schools are rethinking how the humanities can serve our current needs as a society and economy. From Purdue to Brandeis to Georgia Tech, universities are positioning a study in the liberal arts as essential for thriving in a world saturated by AI.
Virginia Tech is going one step further, offering humanities training to mid-career leaders who want a very different kind of professional development. Now in its third year, the Virginia Tech Institute for Leadership in Technology is a highly selective fellowship for executives across a range of industries like finance, government, law, software, aerospace and consulting.
Founded by entrepreneur and former Google, Twitter and YouTube executive, Rishi Jaitly, the institute has an online and in-person curriculum that guides participants in reading, listening, and conversation with those of opposing ideas and sensibilities.
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