AI has already changed the workforce. The real question is whether colleges will change with it — and change fast enough for the students already using these tools on their own.
That is the challenge EdTech Magazine put on the table in its September 2026 feature, “Are Colleges Ready To Support the AI Workforce?” Generations College is proud to be part of that national conversation — not as a theory piece, but as a college already building AI into how students learn, work, and lead.
Students are not waiting
A Digital Education Council global survey of more than 45,000 students and faculty found that 88% of students already use AI in their learning, but only 15% say it is integrated into many of their courses.
That gap matters. Our students are not waiting for permission or a perfect policy document. They are teaching themselves — unevenly — while institutions deliberate. At Generations College, we believe our job is to close that gap with guided, ethical, career-ready practice.
AI is a workplace skill — not only a computer science topic
For too long, AI was treated like a specialty topic for engineers. That is no longer enough. An accountant will use AI to analyze financial trends. A marketer will use it to understand customers. An entrepreneur will use it to build products faster.
Students do not need to become AI engineers. They need to use AI responsibly, strategically, and ethically inside their chosen fields. We are preparing students to direct AI rather than compete with it.
What Generations College is building
When we launched Chicago’s first two-year, associate-level Business + AI degree, the goal was clear: prepare business professionals to lead in an AI economy. In the program, students build skills in prompt engineering, workflow automation, AI ethics, and practical business applications.
The results showed up quickly. During our pilot with Vet Tix, one student nearly withdrew because the business she was building with the tools she learned each week grew faster than she could manage. She was struggling because the program was working. She finished the course.
We are already updating that curriculum in our second full semester. Academic cycles often measure change in years. AI moves in months. Colleges cannot afford a curriculum that cannot keep pace.
Human connection stays at the center
This fall, Generations College is introducing AI-powered avatars to deliver selected foundational lectures, and AI tutors to support students around the clock — because learning should not stop when class ends.
AI is not replacing professors. The best professors are mentors and guides. When technology carries routine content, faculty gain more time for the work where human connection matters most: mentorship, creativity, and problem-solving.
Leaders go first
None of this happened because a consultant handed us a slide deck. It happened because our leadership invested in AI proficiency first. A leader cannot credibly ask an institution to embrace what she herself refuses to touch.
As Chancellor Grace Alexis has framed it in the EdTech feature: the leader who fears what is new will eventually be led by people who do not.
Entrepreneurship is part of workforce readiness
One of the most overlooked opportunities AI creates is entrepreneurship. Launching a company once required capital, expertise, and a full team. Today, a student with an idea can research markets, build a brand, and reach customers in an afternoon.
That is why Generations College introduced an Entrepreneurial Studies degree alongside Business + AI. The future workforce will both compete for the jobs that exist and create the ones that do not.
Why this recognition matters
Coverage from EdTech Magazine places Generations College in a national conversation about whether higher education will treat AI as a bolt-on novelty — or as a foundational skill woven through real programs, real faculty time, and real student support.
For us, the through-line is simple: prepare students to adapt, innovate, and lead through changes we cannot fully predict. The colleges that succeed will be the ones willing to rethink education itself — not only the ones that adopt the most tools.
Innovation is how we stay true to our mission.
What comes next
If you are exploring a career-focused path in business, AI, or entrepreneurship — or you want a college that treats AI as a practical skill, not a buzzword — we would love to talk with you.
- Read the full EdTech Magazine feature
- Start your next step with Admissions: Apply Now
Get ready to Live the Legacy with us at Generations College.
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