Concerns over AI’s impact on employment have led 16% of college students to change majors
A new education survey shows that artificial intelligence is reshaping how college students choose their majors and prepare for careers.
Faced with rapid advances in AI, many recent graduates and current students are steering clear of AI-exposed careers such as coding and data analysis, instead gravitating toward physical, skilled labor jobs that feel safer from automation.
According to a Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey of about 3,800 students, concerns about AI’s impact on employment have led 16% of college students to change majors, with another 47% considering doing so.
Students worry their degrees may not lead to stable careers as AI reshapes industries. Technology and vocational students expressed the highest level of concern, with many unsure whether tech-related fields will create opportunities or replace jobs.
Researchers said students are making major education decisions without clear guidance from colleges. About 29% of students believe their schools are not preparing them properly for AI in the workplace.
A Stanford University research shows that between late 2022 and late 2025, employment for workers aged 22 to 25 in AI-exposed roles, such as software development and customer service, fell by 16%.
Even in the workforce, many people are shifting out of white-collar employment and pursuing trades such as electrician work or firefighter training, where demand remains strong, and AI poses less of a threat.
Despite growing interest in the trades, employment contracted over the past year. Moreover, these roles typically earn less on average than college-educated jobs.
Still, experts stressed that colleges continue to teach valuable long-term skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving.