Prospective Physics Student Asks If AI Progress Makes a Decade-Long Research Career a Bad Bet
lu-lw · reddit · 2026-10-12
A prospective university student planning to study fundamental physics posted a long, earnest plea: rapid AI progress in math and scientific reasoning has shaken his confidence in a path requiring 8–10 years before reaching a research career. He asks whether AI could largely automate scientific research within a decade, whether human physicists will remain employable, which skills will stay economically valuable, and whether a path combining fundamental research with well-paid industry work exists — a snapshot of AI-driven career anxiety among top students.
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