In a televised interview, Fox 32 Chicago host (Speaker A) and AI expert Matt Britton discuss whether a traditional four‑year college degree remains a worthwhile investment amid rapid AI advancement. Britton argues that the historic equation of a degree with job security is eroding, especially for students who must incur large debt (U.S. student debt exceeds $1.7 trillion). He emphasizes that the future job market will split between deep creativity (storytelling, design, entrepreneurship) and deep technical expertise (AI engineering, robotics, cybersecurity), warning that a “jack‑of‑all‑trades” approach may leave graduates rudderless. Trade schools are highlighted as increasingly valuable, offering AI‑resistant skills such as electrical work and welding. Regardless of path, Britton stresses that fluency with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude) is essential; he recommends hands‑on, step‑by‑step learning and using AI to build projects. For those already holding degrees, he suggests practical AI experimentation rather than formal courses. The interview concludes with promotion of his book Generation AI and his website.
Chapters
Welcome back. New concerns tonight about how artificial intelligence could be changing the value of a college degree. Some experts say the traditional 4-year path is being disrupted as AI takes over more entry-level tasks. We have AI expert and the author of Generation AI, Matt Britton, here to tell us whether higher education will still deliver the same return on investment. Matt, thank you so much for coming on the show tonight. We got to talk about this, you know, because when we're talking about college, it is not cheap, right? So if you're going to make this kind of investment, you need to know that you're getting a return on it. Does traditional college still make sense in the age of AI, or is this system being disrupted faster than it can adapt?
Yeah, I mean, AI is really forcing parents to ask the question no one had to ask 20 years ago, which is, is college still worth the price? You know, the old formula, a college degree equals security, is really breaking down in real time right in front of our eyes.
I got to ask you about, you know, what kind of jobs will be out there, because I know you've said that most jobs by 2030 don't even exist yet. How should parents think about spending money for college, sending kids to college with that kind of uncertainty about what the job market will even look like?
Well, first of all, if you're fortunate enough to have your parents pay for your 4-year college, it's a great place to spend 4 years to prepare for the real world. You have great networking ability, you know, you're getting experiences that you're not going to be able to get anywhere else. However, if you have to go into debt, and some instances it's hundreds of thousands of dollars— in fact, the total debt in America for student debt is over $1.7 trillion— well, that's a completely different story because people are going to college to follow their dreams. But if you leave a 4-year college with a degree but hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, you really can't follow your dreams. So I think people really need to think about what am I preparing myself for? What is the world going to look like when I get out of college?
Is this one of those things where— because I hear people come to at least us in this career field all the time and they say, you know, I want to be a journalist and they say, what do you think I should major in? And I say, you know, honestly, looking at the times now, I'm not saying don't be a journalist, but I am saying that maybe you should consider majoring in something else. Is that the advice that you're giving people? Maybe look at some type of major in AI as well?
Yeah, I mean, I think in the era, the winners will either go deep into creativity or deep into technology. So you're talking about storytelling, leadership, design, entrepreneurship, creativity on one side, and then on deep into a science side, AI engineering, robotics, cybersecurity, machine learning. So you're really learning how to operate the machines or you're learning how to be creative in tackling what these machines are capable of. But if you're in the middle, if you're a master of all trades and, or jack of all trades, master of none, well, you're gonna find yourself really rudderless in this new economy.
What would be your best advice? You know, someone that has a— this is the time, right? They're going to prom, they're graduating from high school, they're making the decision and the leap to go to college. What advice do you give them? Trade school? College? Go to college, major in something that is like a trade? What's the best advice here?
Well, I'm glad you brought up trade schools because they're definitely no longer a Plan B. Like electricians, mechanics, welders, they're becoming some of the most AI-resistant and economically valuable workers in America. Just based upon the lasting demand we're going to see for those services. But to answer your question, I think no matter what role you're going to dive into post-college, you need to have hands on keyboard and have a fluent understanding of AI. AI is not going to replace everyone, but people using AI will replace people who don't. And no matter what industry you're in, this is going to be a technology that's going to seep into every corner, every corner of business culture and society. So you have to get adept at it. And I think it all starts with picking something you're passionate about, picking a problem you're passionate about and just diving in and try to build an AI and see what you're capable of.
What do you say for the people that already have a degree? Maybe some of our— these old folks like me, you already have your degree, you're already kind of set, and you're trying to figure out what to do next in the world of AI. Are there courses? Is there something that you can go study to learn more about AI?
I think the best course is actually jumping on a tool like ChatGPT or Claude. And basically giving these chatbots information about yourself, which many instances they already have, use it and just tell it, I need to get better, I need to learn more, give me something I can build that will give me that hands-on experience. And what I like to tell people is, give me step-by-step instructions, but don't give me step 2 until I tell you step 1 is done. Because often people get quite overwhelmed if they just see a huge response and they'll say, you know what, this isn't for me. But if you just go one step at a time, and you have some sense of perseverance and you don't give up, you're gonna find about step 17 or 18, you're gonna look back and say, wow, I really truly do understand how this can apply not only to the task I was working on, but to so many other areas of my life and my business.
Very good points there. Before I let you go, where can people get your book?
Uh, my book, uh, Generation AI is sold on Amazon or anywhere else books are sold. And you can learn more about me at mattbritton.com.
All right, perfect. Matt Britton, thank you so much for your time tonight. We appreciate it. Thank you.
