PhDs had two jobs: training researchers and cheap labor — LLMs may break both
burny_tech · x · 2026-10-25
kirancodes argues that a PhD historically served two purposes: training the next generation of researchers and providing academics with cheap labor. With LLMs replacing the student labor part, professors lose the incentive to train successors — and we may need a new institution or job to fill that gap. A crisp take on how AI could restructure academic talent pipelines.
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