AI: A must-have skill for every student, any field

By now, we’ve all seen how fast artificial intelligence (AI) is changing jobs. A report from Goldman Sachs says AI could automate two-thirds of occupations. Tasks like admin and legal work could be mostly automated, along with some in construction and maintenance. If you’re still on the fence about the capabilities of AI, consider the story of Sharanya Bhattacharya, a 22-year-old from Kolkata, whose professional life underwent a transformation upon the integration of AI. Previously employed as a copywriter and ghostwriter for a creative agency while pursuing her studies, Sharanya found herself witnessing a significant reduction in her workload as AI technologies like ChatGPT began to assume certain responsibilities.

“Where there is a will, there’s a way,” they say, and it couldn’t be more true, especially when it comes to adapting to the influence of AI. For students fresh out of class XII, whether it’s West Bengal Higher Secondary, CBSE, or ISC, it’s essential to recognise that AI isn’t limited to just IT jobs. Its impact spans across every field, from arts to humanities to commerce. So, if you’re considering fields like agriculture post-exams, it’s important to dive into AI fundamentals, robotics, and AI ethics. These skills aren’t just nice to have – they’re vital for thriving in a world shaped by AI.

“In today’s high-tech world where technological advancement has made unprecedented inroads in life and living, the knowledge domain has become profoundly dynamic where students across all disciplines inclusive of arts, humanities, and commerce need to have adequate knowledge and proficiency of new technology in order to have competitive edge in enhancing their career prospects,” said Prof Debasis Bhattacharya, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, IILM University, Gurugram.

He further explained how a student of literature can explore AI applications in natural language processing (NLP) for content creation or analysis. Prof Bhattacharya also mentioned that students of commerce and humanities can learn how AI is transforming business operations, fin-tech, e-commerce, marketing strategies, and customer experiences. “Proficiency in AI-driven analytics can assist such students make data-driven decisions with efficacy while optimising business processes. Students of international relations and diplomacy can use AI approaches in areas of political consulting, policy analysis, predictive analysis on military and diplomatic engagement through data-driven insights, instant language translation, sifting through enormous data in seeking trends, patterns and future trajectory of geopolitical engagement,” he said.

There are plenty of online courses available to learn about AI, covering everything from the basics to practical applications and ethical considerations. And it’s not just online – institutes like IITs and IIMs are also offering short-term courses on AI and Machine Learning. For instance, the School of Liberal Arts at IIT Jodhpur has a Centre of Excellence on Arts and Digital Immersion, where students can explore creative and performing arts alongside AI with support from various disciplines. Amity University even offers a BBA programme in International Business with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. To get in, you need to pass your 10+2 exams with at least 60% marks.

“Prompt engineering involves designing and refining input queries to effectively communicate with AI systems, ensuring the output aligns closely with the needs of the user. This skill can provide a competitive edge to students from non-technical backgrounds by enabling more efficient problem-solving and innovation. People from non-technical backgrounds can leverage prompt engineering by learning how to interact with AI tools tailored to their industries—whether in the creative arts, humanities, or business—transforming vague ideas into precise instructions that yield useful results. Broadly speaking, students should learn to incorporate tech tools to perform repetitive or non-creative tasks in their fields,” said Prof Kaushik Gopalan, Associate Professor, Computer Science, Flame University.

Recently, the West Bengal’s Higher Secondary Education Council has suggested adding a warm-up course for Class 10 students interested in the new subjects of Applied Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security. These subjects will be introduced from the 2024-25 academic year. To prepare students, the syllabus for existing subjects like Modern Computer Application and Computer Science has been updated to stay relevant.

According to Dr Subhajyoti Ray, Director, Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida, educational institutes should periodically update their curriculum and collaborate with industry professionals to ensure that AI courses align with industry demands and emerging job opportunities. “Institutes can integrate AI education into their curriculum effectively by assuring that their courses are interdisciplinary and experiential. This can be accomplished by collaborating with industry experts, offering internships, and delivering hands-on assignments and case studies,” he said.

For Dr Bhattacharya of IILM, AI is a multidisciplinary field that combines elements of computer science, mathematics, and domain-specific knowledge. He stresses on courses focusing on ethics, responsible AI, and governance for non-engineering students, which will provide them with frameworks for ethical decision-making and understanding the social implications of AI.

“There’s a course called ‘Practical Machine Learning’ by Johns Hopkins University on Coursera that I’d recommend for beginners without a strong technical background. We also offer a hands-on executive education course on AI that is designed specifically for working professionals from a non-programming background,” said Prof Gopalan, Flame University.

Students who have completed their 10+2 exams and are applying to colleges in arts, humanities, or commerce streams can benefit from enrolling in beginner-level AI courses. These courses typically cover essential topics like machine learning, data analysis, and programming, providing a strong foundation in AI regardless of the field of study. For those with prior experience in AI, exploring more advanced courses focusing on specific topics or applications can be a great way to deepen their understanding and skill set. Whether you’re just starting out or already have some knowledge, there’s always something new to learn in the rapidly evolving field of AI.