Hastings chose STEM for his own graduate degree, but he said AI will shift what universities prioritize in the future.
“STEM practically took over Stanford University,” said Hastings. “Now maybe what we’ll see is a rotation, you know, back to the humanities and to understanding [the] combination of history and literature.”
“If I had a three-year-old today, I would be doubling down on the emotional skills,” he added.
Hastings, for his part, is skeptical AI will replace human software engineers entirely.
“There’s a substantial chance that while many companies will have reduced software engineering employment, there’ll be many other opportunities for more software,” he said on the podcast.
While Hastings foresees sweeping changes in education and work, he is more optimistic than ever about the future and the role that AI will play in improving the world.
“The next 20 years will be super exciting and I think it will usher in this era of abundance,” he said.
