How to Prepare the Next Generation for Jobs in the AI Economy

For tomorrow's workers, AI will be more than a tool; AIs will be their co-workers and a ubiquitous part of their lives. If the next generation is to use AI and big data effectively – if they're to understand their inherent limitations, and build even better platforms and intelligent systems -- we need to prepare them now. That will mean some adjustments in elementary education and some major, long-overdue upgrades in computer science instruction at the secondary level. The U.S. is woefully behind many of our peer nations, and President Obama's Computer Science for All initiative may flounder amid budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Another major hurdle is that our schools face a severe shortage of teachers who are trained in computer science.