Is it still worth studying humanities? They gain a second life in the world

Michael Rivera credits the rise of courses that combine AI and the humanities a revival of interest in fields such as English studies. Before the pandemic, the number of college English majors was declining — as it is across the United States. This was a far cry from the early 2000s, when the course had over 1,500 students and long waiting lists. Now, however, there has been a rebound – since 2021, the number of English students has increased by 9%.

— We definitely see that organizations are paying more and more attention to soft skills: responsibility, employee identity, communication style, empathy – humanity – says Bryan Ackermann, head of AI strategy and transformation at the recruitment and consulting company Korn Ferry. In a world that requires both people and technology, these features become important.

For English speakers, it is a form of satisfaction. In the debate about what skills will be useful in the world of AI, one side argues that it is time for ideas, people and critical thinking. After years of jokes about humanists, their competences are beginning to be appreciated. At some colleges, student enrollment is rising after years of declines, and tech recruiters are seeing greater demand for humanities skills. You could call it the metamorphosis of English studies.

See also: We are entering the “second wave” of AI. This is what this term means

The triumphant return of the English

Jessie Hennen directs the creative writing and literature programs at Southwest Minnesota State University.

“Our students already have professional experience and say: we won't let AI take away our creative writing,” says Hennen. — Creative writing is a business, but it's also an art — and art is imperfect and we create it for human reasons, not just for money — he adds.

The program has been developing for two to three years.

Rivera notes that more and more students are asking: “Can the humanities sustain me in a world that is changing so quickly?” They want to understand what it means to be part of the technological world.

Similarly, at Rice University in Houston, enrollment in English classes is growing and the number of creative writing instructors has almost doubled.

One assignment involves a professor assigning students to write an essay, and then students compare their version with text generated by a large language model (LLM) and analyze the differences. The goal is to reflect on what it means to interpret a command and the power of one's own words.

“Students are trying to develop their own abilities at a time when AI seems to be doing so much for them,” says Kathleen Canning, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. “The humanities allow them to explore the limits of AI, face it as a powerful reality, and do so critically—developing self-reflection, interpretation, and the ability to improve text,” he emphasizes.

Despite these examples, many universities are reducing humanities offerings or closing programs, and the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in humanities has dropped from records in the 2010s.

But students still choose English majors out of passion, says Kevin Caffrey of the University of Mary Washington. His research shows that despite being aware of criticism of the course, students enroll in it because it is consistent with their interests, values ​​and life goals.

— What does a company need more than someone who can communicate with people at different levels and from different backgrounds? English people are well prepared for this, says Caffrey.

They learn this at a time when communication is changing rapidly. Margo D., 23, a double-major in English and Earth and Climate Sciences, noticed after returning from a scholarship abroad that many students were using ChatGPT for almost every task.

She wasn't convinced.

— My English professors required me to be creative, have an original voice and style, and answer questions that AI cannot capture in their nuances. I felt extremely grateful that I was studying English, she says.

Difficult labor market – for everyone

But there are signs of both hope and challenge.

Daniela Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic, studied literature. In an interview with ABC News, she said that “what makes us human will become even more important” and that her company is looking for great communicators.

“I think humanities studies will be more important than ever,” she said.

This does not mean, however, that companies employ philologists en masse. The employment rate is one of the lowest in a decade, and unemployment among new graduates is rising. A Georgetown University analysis shows that early-career liberal arts graduates have higher unemployment rates than their peers in other fields.

Joe Kramer, a 2020 English graduate, does not work directly in the profession. He worked on automation and helped train AI.

“It's getting really scary for a lot of humanities professions,” he says. — AI generates images, searches online forums, analyzes thousands of documents at once – operated by one person. Even if it doesn't take your job, companies don't need as many employees anymore – he adds.

Part of the caution in hiring, however, comes from the generally difficult labor market – and this doesn't just apply to English majors.

According to Georgetown's analysis, the outlook is not as bleak as it may seem – Unemployment in the humanities is still much lower than after the 2008 crisis, although higher than before the pandemic.

Bryan Ackermann of Korn Ferry believes that It is still a bit too early to fully announce the “English players' rematch”.because it is mainly smaller, agile companies that are looking for people with excellent language skills. However, he predicts that this trend will also cover larger corporations as they implement AI tools.

Giancarlo Hirsch from Glocomms notes greater openness to candidates from different backgrounds. People with history or humanities education are more likely to advance in the recruitment process.

— Companies do not directly target humanities graduates, but are more open to conversation and look for reasons to say “yes” – he said.

Daniella LaGaccia, a copywriter and former English literature student, sees AI as a tool — one of many used by creators. But this is why the creative competences of humanities specialists are even more important.

“Think about it this way: if five companies use the same generative tools to create marketing copy, they will all get similar results,” he says. — If everyone is using the same tools and the same data, how will you stand out? This is where creative people come in – he explains.

The above text is a translation from American edition of Business Insider