OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently told a US podcast that if he was graduating today, “I would feel like the luckiest kid in all of history.”

Altman, whose company developed and released ChatGPT in November 2022, believes the transformative power of AI offers unprecedented opportunities for young people.

Yes, there will be job displacement, but “this always happens,” says Altman, “and young people are the best at adapting to this.” New, more exciting jobs will emerge, full of greater possibilities.

For UK sixth-formers and their families looking at universities, trying to make the best possible choices about what to study – and where – in the age of generative AI, Altman’s words may offer some comfort. But in a fast-changing environment, experts say there are steps students can take to ensure they are well placed both to make the most of their university experience and to emerge from their studies qualified for the jobs of the future.

Dr Andrew Rogoyski, of the Institute for People-Centred AI at the University of Surrey, says that in many cases students will already be well versed in AI and ahead of the game. “What’s striking is the pace of change and adoption vastly outstrips the pace of academic institutions to respond. As a general truth, academic institutions are quite slow and considered and thoughtful about things. But actually this has gone from the launch of ChatGPT to ‘Should we ban it?’, to ‘OK, here are some concerns about exams’, to actually recognising it’s going to be a life skill that we have to teach in every course and that we want all our students to have equitable access to.

“So it’s gone from zero to 100 in a very short space of time, and of course, the world of work is changing accordingly as well.”

His advice to prospective students? “Be demanding. Ask the questions. I think there are some careers that are going to be very different … make sure that universities are adapting to that.”

Students who are less familiar with AI should take time to learn about it and use it, whatever their chosen subject. Rogoyski says being able to use AI tools is now equivalent to being able to read and write, and it’s important “to be resourceful, adaptable, to spend time understanding what AI is capable of and what it can and can’t do”.

He says: “It’s something you need to be able to understand no matter what course you do, and think about how it might impact your career. So read around, look at some of the speculation surrounding that.

“Then I’d start thinking about what the university’s responses are and what support there is for integration of AI. Is my course, and is the university as a whole, on the front foot with regards to the use of AI?”

There will be a lot of information online but Rogoyski recommends visiting universities to ask the academics who will be delivering your degree: “What is your strategy? What is your attitude? Am I going to get a degree that’s worth having, that will stand the test of time?”

Dan Hawes, co-founder of specialist recruitment consultancy the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, is optimistic about the future for UK graduates and says the current slowdown in the jobs market is more to do with the economy than AI. “It’s still very hard to predict what jobs there will be in three to four years, but we think it’s going to put a premium on graduates,” he says. “They are the generation growing up with AI and employers are probably very interested in getting this new breed of talent into their organisations.

“So for parents and sixth-formers deciding where to study, the first thing always to take note of is the employability of the graduates that are produced by certain universities.”

For example, maths has consistently been the top degree his clients are looking for, and he thinks this is unlikely to change. “AI is not going to devalue the skills and knowledge you get from doing a maths degree,” he says.

He agrees that AI is a concern for parents and those considering going to university, “but in the long term I think it’s going to be a good thing. It’s going to make people’s jobs more interesting, redesign their roles, create new jobs.”

Elena Simperl, professor of computer science at King’s College London, where she co-directs the King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence, advises students to look at the AI content right across a university, in all departments. “It is changing how we do things. It’s not just changing how we write emails and how we read documents and how we look for information,” she says.

Students might wish to consider how they can set themselves up for a job working in AI. “DeepMind is proposing AI co-scientists, so entire automatic AI labs, to do research. So a university should train their students so that they can make the most out of these technologies,” she says. “It doesn’t really matter what they want to study at the university. They don’t have to study AI themselves, but they should go to a university where there is a broad expertise in AI, not just in a computer science department.”

Prof Simperl says that the evidence so far suggests it is unlikely that entire jobs will completely disappear. “So we need to stop thinking about what jobs will be killed by AI and think about what tasks can AI help with. People who are able to use AI more will be at an advantage.”

In the brave new world of AI, will it still be worth doing a degree like English literature or history? “Yes, if they’re well taught,” says Rogoyski. “They should be teaching you things that will last throughout your lifetime. The appreciation of literature, learning how to write well, learning how to think and how to communicate are enduring skills.

“The way that you might use that degree in the future will undoubtedly change, but if it’s taught well, the lessons learned will see you through. If nothing else you’ll enjoy your downtime as our AI overlords take over all the work and we’ll have more time to read books while we’re all on universal basic income.”

Choosing which university to attend based on social scene alone probably isn’t the wisest idea, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t rank high on your list of priorities. Not only are sticky dancefloors and blinding strobe lighting a sort of rite of passage, a good night out can foster the sense of connection and friendship that is key to a student’s wellbeing.

“Three years minimum is a long time in your life, so you need to be happy in the environment you’re in,” says Joe Woodcock, head of community at discussion platform The Student Room. “Students who are not happy tend to be the ones that aren’t able to finish. Being a happy student is so important for getting the best out of your university education.”

That doesn’t mean it’s all budget bottles of vodka and arguing about whose turn it is to pay for the Uber. History and politics student Joseph Thomas, 21, chose the University of York because the city’s nightlife seemed “a bit more down to earth and a bit less rowdy” than his second choice – Coventry’s University of Warwick. “A campus university was right for me because all the students are in one place.” His idea of a good time is playing communal Mario Kart on a projector and discussing music over a couple of pints with the university album society.

Similarly, Rachel Tong Ng, who has just graduated with a degree in business and management, chose Durham University over Manchester for its “more peaceful vibe”.

“Durham has a collegiate system, which I’d researched before, so I think it was a lot easier to make friends,” says Ng, who preferred society events and on-campus sports team socials – both of which her chosen city had in abundance – to pubs and clubs.

But don’t believe everything they tell you about gen Z, says Katie Kirwan, the head of brand at booking platform Design My Night – they’re as partial to a party as their predecessors – they’re just more discerning about where they choose to blow their student loan.

“A couple of years ago we started covering a lot of nights based around musicians – so we had a ton of Taylor Swift nights, and we’ve seen a huge increase in searches for western-themed nights following the release of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album,” says Kirwan. “Britney [Spears] nights have also made a comeback. Nostalgia’s big: gen Z are now discovering all the bands that I used to listen to when I was their age.”

Demand for activities-based nights out, including pottery painting and crafting, is also skyrocketing – with their fixed cost one of the main draws, says Kirwan. As well as a 14% increase in searches for “classes” in the past year on the platform, she’s seen a 43% increase in searches for “affordable” activities.

The eye-watering cost of going out now means that the time-honoured student tradition of cramming into the communal kitchen for pre-drinks is alive and well. “A lot of us do most of our drinking before we go to the club,” says 19-year-old animation student Kami Thomas, who chose the University of Westminster so they could take advantage of London’s LGBTQ+ clubbing scene. They have also used holiday work to give their bank account some breathing room: “I knew I wanted to go to university in London, so I saved £3,000 over the summer so I could enjoy my first term.” Ng’s number one rule for affordable student socialising is setting a budget before she goes out, and refusing to overspend – even if that means one less drink.

So which universities make the grade for their social scenes? “A city like Sheffield ticks all the boxes for diverse, great nightlife,” says Woodcock. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The University of Sheffield’s student union is frequently ranked best in the UK, while the city’s DIY music scene continues to thrive. “Places like Liverpool and Cardiff, which are cheaper than London and the south-east, also offer the best of both: a campus-centred social scene and city nightlife,” he adds.

For live music, Kirwan recommends Leeds, which has “all the flavour of Manchester” with a cheaper cost of living. Ng, though, doesn’t think it matters where you go – provided you try to enjoy yourself as much as possible. “You only get the university experience once.”

Q. How do you see the shift in approach in higher education with AI becoming an integral part of the workspace and learning?

Education in India is standing at an inflection point. For decades, colleges have measured success by degrees awarded, not by the employability of their graduates. But in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), that equation is being rewritten.

The next generation of top 100 colleges to watch will not be the ones that fear AI. They will be the ones that integrate AI elegantly into their workflow—enhancing learning, improving knowledge retention, and producing students with ‘Proof of Readiness’ rather than just certificates.

Traditional classrooms focus on theory. Employers, however, demand proof. The new model of education flips the script: students are trained and assessed in AI-powered practice environments that validate not just what they know, but how ready they are to perform.

From ‘Degrees to Data-Backed Readiness,’ this shift has far-reaching impact. For students it means higher retention, greater confidence, and stronger employability; for colleges it is a decisive move from degree-centric to outcome-centric reputations; for India it is the ability to uplift 100 million learners at scale, fueling national competitiveness.

Q. Could you share a few examples as ‘a case in point’ that are becoming ‘Colleges of the Future’? 

Across India, pioneering initiatives are breaking away from the monotone of certificates and resumes. They are proving that employability in the AI era means readiness, not paperwork:

• AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) is redefining how education meets industry. Instead of only accrediting degrees, AICTE is actively integrating AI to match students with industry needs—focusing on skills, outcomes, and readiness rather than just certificates.

• SWAYAM Plus is shifting from being a digital catalogue of courses to becoming an AI-enabled readiness platform, where learners don’t just “complete” modules but demonstrate skills mapped to real employer demand.

• Apna Jobs has already powered 7 lakh+ interviews through AI-driven skill-matching, eliminating the inefficiency of resumes. By using AI to perform the “non-scalable” tasks—connecting people with the right opportunities at scale—Apna is showing how technology can redefine placements.

These aren’t just incremental improvements. They represent a systemic break from the past—moving India’s education ecosystem from certificates and resumes to data-backed readiness and employability.

Q. Given the urgency of ‘now,’ why does AI-integrated learning matter beyond campuses?

The push for transformation is not just coming from students or regulators. It is being demanded by employers who are struggling to find talent that is not only qualified on paper but genuinely ready to perform on ‘Day One.’ Hiring managers across IT, BFSI, and manufacturing echo the same frustration: traditional degrees tell them what a student has studied, but not whether that student can actually deliver results.

AI-powered readiness models solve this gap. By validating practice, fluency, and applied skills, they give companies the confidence to hire faster and at scale. It isn’t just good for employers—it’s essential for India’s competitiveness.

Consider the numbers: India produces nearly 1 crore graduates every year, yet industry studies show that less than 30% are considered employable. Closing this gap is not an academic issue; it is an economic emergency. If even 10% more graduates enter the workforce job-ready, the productivity impact could add billions to India’s GDP annually.

This is why the ‘Colleges of the Future’ are not waiting. They are breaking free from the monotone of certificates and resumes, proving that readiness is the new currency of employability.

Q. What is the big picture in your opinion?

The overarching scenario is that it is not about survival. This is about transformation at scale. The future of India’s workforce depends on how boldly higher education institutions embrace AI—not as a threat, but as a partner. In fact, the foundation should start at the school level.

And as we celebrate these Colleges of the Future, we set the stage for a new era where education does not end with a certificate. It ends with readiness for the world of work.