At the Colorado Business and Economic Outlook Forum on December 8, Jeremiah Contreras and Matthew Brady spoke on “Workforce in Transition: Building an AI-Enabled Workforce.”
Understanding the AI shift
Artificial intelligence has moved from the margins of business to the mainstream. This is no longer a concept of the future, but a reality of today that is reimagining roles, redefining skills, and challenging the way organizations build their workforces.
Kara Khatri and Shiv Khatri Endowed Faculty and Associate Professor Contreras and Assistant Professor Brady walked attendees through the evolution of AI, from early machine learning to agentic AI and the potential for artificial superintelligence, a theoretical future in which AI exceeds human intelligence in many areas.
So how is the University of Leeds preparing students for this rapidly changing landscape? In an area full of uncertainty, evolving regulations and unpredictable impacts, they have outlined both challenges and opportunities.
“The reality right now is that students who are graduating are facing increased unemployment rates,” Contreras said, noting that entry-level jobs have been hardest hit. “Entry-level roles are being compressed as routine tasks are automated, and the skill sets required to join the workforce are increasing,” he said. As examples, he pointed to some of the headline cuts this year from companies like Workday, Salesforce, Microsoft and Amazon.
Prepare students for the new workforce
Organizations will still have executives and multiple layers of management, but entry-level roles will increasingly disappear. “We need to equip students with the judgment and supervisory skills expected at the start of their careers, skills traditionally found in manager-level positions,” Contreras said. “What employers are really looking for is hiring people with a proven track record, not potential.”
Employers are looking for algorithmic thinking and proof that students can solve problems. Coding is not required, but critical thinking that incorporates logic and reasoning is. “Employers expect competence, judgment and adaptability,” he says.
This shift is transforming higher education. Many students are already using AI with little guidance or supervision, which Contreras believes is the biggest risk. To impact learning, AI requires more than just acting as a response machine.
“What employers are really looking for is hiring people with a proven track record, not potential.”
Jeremiah Contreras, Associate Professor
Brady believes that AI, when used well, can enhance learning and promote critical thinking. In one of his courses, he uses AI as a teaching assistant that is available to students 24/7. The tools he developed include what the industry calls “guardrails” that redirect students to course materials and lecture slides rather than doing the work for them.
“Just as human teaching assistants enable productive struggle with skill and grace, AI can be trained to facilitate learning in the same way,” he said.As an added benefit, the tool can help shy students who don't necessarily assert themselves during class.
Redefining business education in the AI era
The Leeds AI Initiative, launched in March 2024 by Thandeen Rustandi Endowment Dean Vijay Khatri, positions Leeds as a leader in responsible AI education. Addresses the use of AI in work, research, teaching and learning.
Leeds has integrated AI into all 14 of its core business courses and is looking at integrating AI across all undergraduate and postgraduate courses. “Every class should at least consider the impact of AI,” Contreras said. New courses are also in development, including Brady's AI & Automation for Tomorrow's Societies, our first cohort program with Nagoya University in Japan, starting this spring.
Contreras warned that the biggest risk to students is having AI think for them. The University of Leeds is setting an example of how to use AI purposefully, strategically and responsibly through three approaches:
- Enhance learning and critical thinking
- Teach AI as a workplace skill
- Know when and where to implement technology free zones
Educators need to rethink how they assign and assess work from K-12. “We have to get this right,” Contreras said.
Business leaders decide not only how to deploy AI, but also how it impacts people and organizations. Their decisions will influence whether AI becomes a tool for progress or a source of destruction. The priorities for educators remain clear. It's about continuing to teach human skills and highlighting what AI can't replace. Contreras’ advice for all of us navigating this new era is to stay informed and engaged, monitor emerging AI policies, mentor students, and keep doing what we do best: being human.
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