At the Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum on December 8, Jeremiah Contreras and Matthew Brady presented “Talent in Transition: Building an AI-Ready Workforce.”
Understanding AI Change
Artificial intelligence has moved from the margins to the mainstream of business. It is no longer a future concept, but a present reality that is reshaping roles, redefining skills and challenging the way organizations build their workforce.
Contreras, a Kala and Shiv Khatri Faculty Fellow and associate professor, and Assistant Professor Brady guided participants through the evolution of AI – from early machine learning to agentic AI and the possibility of artificial super intelligence, a theoretical future where AI could surpass human intelligence in many areas.
So how does Leeds prepare students for this rapidly changing landscape? In a world filled with uncertainty, evolving regulations and unpredictable effects, they highlighted both challenges and opportunities.
“The current reality is that our students who are graduating are facing higher unemployment,” Contreras said, noting that entry-level jobs are seeing the greatest impact. “Entry-level positions are being reduced as routine tasks are automated and the skills required to enter the job market increase,” he said. To illustrate, he shared some of this year’s headlines from layoffs at companies like Workday, Salesforce, Microsoft and Amazon.
Preparing students for a new job
Although organizations will continue to have leadership and layers of leadership, entry-level positions will increasingly disappear. “We need to prepare students with the judgment and supervisory skills now expected early in their careers, skills traditionally found in leadership positions,” Contreras said. “Employers are really looking to hire evidence, not potential.”
Employers want algorithmic thinking and proof that students can solve problems. Coding is not essential, but critical thinking that incorporates logic and reasoning is. “Employers expect competence, judgment and adaptability,” he said.
This change is changing higher education. Many students already use AI with little guidance or oversight, which Contreras sees as the biggest risk. For learning to have an impact, AI cannot simply serve as a responder.
“Employers are really looking to hire evidence, not potential.”
Jérémie Contreras, associate professor
When used well, AI can enhance learning and stimulate critical thinking, believes Brady. He uses AI as a teaching assistant for one of his courses, available 24/7 for students. Its in-house tool includes what the industry calls “guardrails,” redirecting students to course materials and lecture slides rather than doing the work for them.
“In the same way that a human teaching assistant is astute and graceful to enable productive struggle, AI can be trained to facilitate learning in the same way,” he said. An added benefit: The tool can help shy students who don’t necessarily defend themselves in class.
Redefining business education in the age of AI
THE Leeds AI Initiativelaunched in March 2024 by Vijay Khatri, Dean of Tandean Rustandy, positions Leeds as a leader in responsible AI education. It addresses the use of AI in operations, research, and teaching and learning.
Leeds has integrated AI into all of its core courses and is exploring the integration of AI into all undergraduate and graduate courses. “Every class should at least think about the implications of AI,” Contreras said. New courses are also in development, including Brady’s AI & Automation for Tomorrow’s Societies, an inaugural cohort program with Nagoya University in Japan, launching this spring.
The biggest risk to students is allowing AI to think for them, Contreras warned. Leeds sets an example by how to use AI intentionallystrategically and responsibly through a triple approach:
- strengthen learning and critical thinking
- teaching AI as a professional skill
- know where and when to implement technology-free zones
Educators need to rethink how they assign and assess work, starting in K-12. “We have to get this right,” Contreras said.
Business leaders will determine not only how AI is adopted, but also its impact on people and organizations. Their decisions will determine whether AI becomes a tool for progress or a source of disruption. For educators, the priority remains clear: continue teaching human skills, with an emphasis on what AI cannot replace. Contreras’ advice for all of us as we navigate this new era is to stay informed and engaged, monitor emerging AI policies, mentor students, and continue doing what we do best: being human.
Curious about AI in Leeds? Find out more about the Leeds AI Advisory Board and the AI Club >>