University instructor's field notes: students see no AI progress yet believe AI will ruin their lives
LessWrong 精选 · rss · 2026-09-03
A US public university instructor reports how students thought about AI in spring/summer 2026, based on coursework and a student workshop.
Perspective 1: no perceived rapid progress
- Students see chatbots as a mature technology: aside from image/video generation, little has changed since GPT-4-era tools
- Claude Code drew 'building software is that easy?' reactions rather than awe at AI
- Students mostly use AI badly and blame the model; the instructor expects employers seeking 'AI native' graduates to be disappointed
Perspective 2: convinced AI will wreck their lives
- A plurality agreed AI will have taken their desired jobs by graduation; many said they believe they may starve as a result of AI-driven economic change
- Their logic: CEOs will pay double for AI doing half as well, substandard AI products will rapidly roll out, unemployment becomes self-reinforcing
- Workshop students split: would-be adapters see themselves as future Zuckerbergs while classmates are doomed
The piece documents two incompatible beliefs coexisting in Gen Z — a rare firsthand look at student AI sentiment.
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