Looking for a resilient career? These 25 college majors ranked safest from AI exposure
How AI exposure was assessed
Business Insider examined a September working paper by US Census Bureau researchers. It estimates exposure across fields of study by considering whether GPT-4 could substantially cut the time needed for tasks in jobs commonly taken by young graduates.
Computer science, computer engineering, programming, and information sciences were among the fields with the highest exposure. Statistics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, actuarial science, and journalism also ranked near the high end.
The researchers’ measure is limited to GPT-4’s potential to speed up job tasks. The analysis cautions that its ranking cannot definitively establish which jobs are more vulnerable.
Fields with hands-on work
Teaching, medical assisting, and nutrition were among the fields found to have relatively low exposure. Nutrition professionals may tailor advice to patients’ health, culture, budget, and lifestyle, while some graduates work in public health or health education.
Forestry, natural resource management, and ecology graduates may work in conservation, environmental planning, land management, or wildlife technology. Their work can involve observing ecosystems and making decisions based on conditions on the ground.
Physiology graduates study the body’s systems and may enter clinical research, laboratory work, health education, or other health professions. Health sciences and pre-health programs also prepare students for fields including medicine, dentistry, public health, and patient support.
Care shaped by individual needs
Social work and human services graduates help people through crises, connect them with benefits and care, and build support networks. These roles can involve complex situations requiring judgment and trust.
Speech and communication disorder programs cover how speech develops and how communication challenges can be addressed. Professionals may assess and treat conditions involving speech, hearing, and language through individualized care.
Family and consumer sciences graduates help people make decisions about relationships, finances, and family well-being. Potential work includes family services, consumer education, and community programs.
People, evidence, and ideas
Criminology graduates may work in law enforcement, corrections, crime analysis, or victim services. Their work can include interpreting behavior and evidence and making judgments with legal and community-safety consequences.
Liberal arts graduates use skills in analyzing and expressing ideas across areas such as law, communications, public service, education, research, and business. The study of subjects such as philosophy and literature centers on human ideas and interpretation.
A broad science degree brings together biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and environmental science. Graduates may become research assistants, technicians, science educators, or specialists, and some pursue further education for health professions.
Key points
- The analysis compares AI exposure across fields by estimating whether GPT-4 could speed up common job tasks.
- Computer-focused fields, statistics, and journalism were among those with higher estimated exposure.
- Teaching, medical assisting, and nutrition were among the fields with lower estimated exposure.
- The ranking is not definitive and reflects GPT-4’s ability to accelerate tasks.