Almost half of currently enrolled college students have given serious thought to switching their major because of how AI might impact the job market, according to new survey.
Axios reports that the survey findings, recently released by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation, reveal a significant shift in how students are approaching their educational and career planning as AI tools continue to transform industries across the economy. Among students surveyed, 14 percent reported thinking “a great deal” about changing their academic focus due to AI, while 33 percent said they had thought “a fair amount” about making such a change.
Gender differences emerged prominently in the data, with 60 percent of male students reporting they had considered changing their major compared to 38 percent of female students. The field of study also played a major role in these considerations. Students pursuing degrees in vocational fields showed the highest level of concern at 71 percent, closely followed by those in tecnology fields at 71 percent. Business and humanities students both registered at 54 percent, while engineering students came in at 52 percent.
The survey data indicates that these considerations are not merely theoretical. Sixteen percent of students reported they have already changed their major specifically because of AI’s potential impact on their chosen industry. This trend was again more pronounced among male students at 21 percent versus 12 percent for female students. Vocational and technology majors led the way in actual changes, with 26 percent and 25 percent respectively having switched their field of study.
Christina Eid, a senior at American University majoring in business administration with a marketing specialization, has been tracking how AI is affecting her peers through an annual survey of students at the AU Kogod School of Business. Her research shows a dramatic increase in employer interest in AI capabilities. In 2024, just 12 percent of students reported that potential employers had asked about their ability to use AI in the workplace. By 2025, that figure had jumped to 30 percent. Eid noted that in all of her own recent job interviews, she has been questioned about her AI skills.
Eid believes her generation has little choice but to engage with AI technology. “Even if you don’t agree with AI, that’s where our future is headed,” she said.
Despite students preparing for an AI-influenced career landscape, the survey found that institutional approaches to the technology remain inconsistent. Forty-two percent of students said their college discourages the use of AI in coursework outside of limited circumstances. Only 11 percent reported that their institution completely prohibits AI use, while a mere 7 percent said their college encourages students to use AI as much as possible.
Student usage patterns suggest that institutional policies are not always determining behavior. At colleges where AI is discouraged, 15 percent of students still use it daily, 33 percent use it weekly, and 12 percent use it monthly. Even at institutions where AI is formally prohibited, 10 percent of students report daily usage and 17 percent use it weekly.
Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation, expressed concern about what students might miss if colleges fail to properly educate them about AI. Her primary worry is not that students will lack technical proficiency with the tools, but that they will not comprehend the technology’s limitations and societal effects. “They don’t understand who it could hurt or help,” Brown told Axios. “And that’s where they’re going to be harmed the most.”
Breitbart News social media director and author Wynton Hall explains in his book Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI that conservatives at the government level as well as within the family unit must help young people create a bright future working with AI as a tool, not as a replacement for humans. Hall recently wrote that leftists will attempt to weaponize the fear over potential job loss at the hands of AI to sway the midterm elections, a fear evident in the polling data from college students.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, praised Code Red as a “must-read.” She added: “Few understand our conservative fight against Big Tech as Hall does,” making him “uniquely qualified to examine how we can best utilize AI’s enormous potential, while ensuring it does not exploit kids, creators, and conservatives.” Award-winning investigative journalist and Public founder Michael Shellenberger calls Code Red “illuminating,” ”alarming,” and describes the book as “an essential conversation-starter for those hoping to subvert Big Tech’s autocratic plans before it’s too late.”
Read more at Axios here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
