Giving Compass' Take:

• Isabelle Hau, writing for Getting Smart, discusses how schools today need to incorporate machine learning, AI,  and digital learning into higher education to prepare students for a changing workforce. 

• What colleges are already pioneering AI programs for students? How will more tech preparedness benefit society as a whole? 

• Read more about education needs for workforce preparation. 

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is already disrupting our notions of work and education, and as AI grows more powerful it will dramatically change the skills employers seek and employees need.

Much of the discussion on this topic, both academic and public, centers around the need to effect a shift in higher education in order to better match the skills of graduates with the demands of an AI-driven marketplace. We can’t predict what specific skills will be required by employees when that child enters the workforce, but we can be certain that working in 2030 will be a far different experience than it is today.

One other thing is certain: The ability for children to succeed in learning, especially the complex skills they will need in 2030 and beyond, is closely linked to their early learning experience. The only way to ensure our children will be prepared for the world they will enter as adults is to give them a strong start now.

This lack of preparedness today effectively robs them of their chance to live their adult lives to the fullest.

This has implications even beyond those individuals. Society will pay the price, not just in economic terms, but also because the children who will live in this AI-centric future also will have to design it. If we have given them the opportunity to develop the skills, competencies, and mindsets to apply this emerging technology for good, they can design a future where AI serves humankind by making life safer, healthier, less burdensome, and more fulfilling.

For our part, we are funding a wide range of organizations whose work has a direct impact on children. Among our investees are those delivering early-learning-inclusive edtech — Khan Academy and its subsidiary Duck Duck Moose, and the outdoor play-focused Tinkergarten.

Read the full article about early learning today can help tomorrow by Isabelle Hau at Getting Smart.