Guardian Op-Ed: Big AI Is Trying to Own the Education-to-Jobs Pipeline, Universities Should Resist
nordicinst · x · 2026-09-17
An op-ed by education scholar Ella Hafermalz in The Guardian warns that OpenAI is insinuating itself into the full pathway from education to employment.
Key points:
- OpenAI's certification program page states it wants to "connect learning, certification and real economic opportunity in one clear journey," laying the foundation for the upcoming OpenAI Jobs Platform — owning education, credentials and job access end-to-end, with its AI tools infused at every step
- The author observes students placing striking trust in ChatGPT, using it for personal problems as well as study, with some doubting their own abilities without AI
- The piece criticizes the industry for first stoking fear of unemployment among young people, then selling "more AI" as the solution
- Universities are urged not to play along and to protect students' independent pathway to work, lest graduates be outsourced to OpenAI for cover letters and coffee orders
The stance is critical: concern that a single commercial company could capture the education-to-work pipeline.
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