Work, young people fear competition from artificial intelligence
For one in three high school students, AI could endanger their ambitions. The research 'After graduation' reveals this
ROME – Even the youngest are scared of the consequences that artificial intelligence could have on their employment prospects: one in 3 high school students is in fact afraid that machine learning and algorithms could preclude them from good job opportunities in the future< /strong>. On the contrary, one of the “bugaboos” of adults worries them much less: only 1 in 10 thinks that the presence of “arms” coming from other countries could do the same, becoming a threat. However,those who are training to be ready for the AI challenge are still a minority, with a clear prevalence of the male component and of those who come from more privileged family backgrounds.
This scenario, in some ways surprising, is revealed by the 2024 edition of ‘After the Diploma’, the research conducted by Skuola.net, in collaboration with ELIS – a non-profit organization that trains people at work – on a sample of 2,500 high school students. The research was presented on the occasion of the ELIS Open Week, the orientation event organized to bring students closer to leading companies in the technical-technological sectors.
Innovation therefore, at least from a work perspective, is not seen by the new generations as an ally but as an enemy. For a significant portion of the students interviewed (27%) there is a high probability that artificial intelligence could put a spanner in the works on the path to personal fulfillment. And a non-negligible portion (8%) is already defeated, considering it a certainty that they will have to give up their dreams of glory because of AI. Only a fifth (19%) do not fear for their employability in a future dominated by artificial intelligence. More specifically, the ones who show the greatest concerns seem to be the males, perhaps because they are the ones most oriented towards technical sectors: here the total or partial distrust exceeds 40%, while among the girls it remains just below the average (33% ).
A fear, the one linked to a massive use of technology by companies and businesses, which however does not only concern individual perspectives. For many, it should be extended to the entire production system: for 1 in 4 interviewees, each sector is at high risk, while around 30% think there will be problems, but only the sectors most devoted to digital could do more and more less than real people. It must be said, however, that the majority of the sample thinks it is still early to cry out about the apocalypse: 37% believe that many activities will require the hand of man for a long time to come. In any case, based on this reading, after the diploma and any post-school training there will be a struggle to get a job. Despite this, few are working hard to avoid being caught unprepared. Only a third of students (34%) always or very often use those generative artificial intelligence tools, such as Chat GPT, which the internet is full of. Even 1 in 4 have never, ever, tried them.< /p>
There’s a lot between “fiddling” and knowing how to use it. The 28% who inform themselves with a certain assiduity about the progress made by machine learning, reading articles or following online courses and tutorials know this well. In this, boys make much more effort than girls: among the first, 37% of them prepare for AI, compared to 22% of the female sample. But the family context also makes a difference: 46% of students from wealthy families are training on prompts and similar, compared to 30% of those who come from more humble backgrounds. A completely different approach, as mentioned, is that adopted by the workers of tomorrow in the presence of “colleagues” from other countries, especially if they are migrants or fleeing from critical geopolitical contexts. “They come to steal our jobs”, we often hear adults complain. But for young people it is the exact opposite: only 8% live with the worry that multiculturalism could worsen the employment prospects of Italians, in every sector. For many others (44%) the threat could only apply to low-specialization tasks. The majority of those interviewed (48%) think that, regardless of foreigners, with constancy and commitment a good job can always be found.
This is why, more generally, only 12% believe that the influx of imported labor could result in fewer offers, lower wages or worse working conditions. For more than 7 out of 10 interviewees, on the contrary, these people can help the entire economy, leading to enrichment in terms of vision and operating methods, which can “improve” us too. For 16% they are even a necessity, carrying out those jobs that we no longer want to do. Certainly, our students will be increasingly called upon to deal, in a global and technological world, with “artificial” work colleaguesor with a cultural background different from their own. This is why it is essential that they acquire adequate skills right from school. To develop these sensitivities, however, effective orientation activities would be needed, which often do not exist: only 1 student in 5, again among those reached by the research, claims to be fully oriented on what to do after graduation.
“The fear of a profound technological transformation such as Artificial Intelligence is also fueled by the lack of skills – observes Pietro Cum, CEO of ELIS – The training that young people receive concerns often notions of the pastand the orientation that should open the windows to the future suffers from an education system that still struggles to dialogue with the outside world and its rapid evolutions. In our experience, however, by collaborating with schools, institutions and businesses, we see that the desire for change is there. Strengthening orientation activities and training on the so-called STEM subjects are fundamental objectives on which to continue working”.
