This is the third entry of WISH-TV’s deeper dive into artificial intelligence in education, first examining how AI is being used in colleges and universities.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — WISH-TV’s deeper dive into artificial intelligence has found students from kindergarten to college are using the technology this school year. However, experts at Purdue University say AI also reshaping careers
According to the PwC 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer: From 2019-2024 job numbers in AI-exposed roles are growing, however they’re growing at a slower rate than jobs that are less exposed to AI.
A lot of this data is still being gathered, however college students tell WISH-TV they’re feeling the change.
Students start the fall semester at Purdue University Aug. 25.
Ellie Jones loves journalism. She’s studying communications at Purdue University. When it comes to AI, she tries to avoid it.
“It’s a very good helping hand but it’s not a brain,” Jones said.
Purdue says AI use among students is up to individual professors, there is not one broad AI policy. More students say they are noticing its impact at school and on future careers.
When asked if she worries about having a job one day due to AI, Jones said, “It’s a little scary, I think it can affect it. I think it might change it.”
Purdue students Jamil Mansouri (left) & Ellie Jones. (WISH Photos)
Jamil Mansouri just graduated from Purdue in May and double majored in Agricultural Economics and Political Science. Now he’s getting a masters in business analytics and data management, because of AI.
“I initially thought it was kind of a fad and going to dry out. But clearly that’s not the case. And I’m going into a master’s where I’m actually learning how to code and implement AI myself, so for me, it’s been a very kind of fast adaptation the whole workforce seems to be shifting around me,” Mansouri said.
He added that he thinks some students are changing their majors due to the changing career landscape.
“Absolutely. There’s a lot of volatility of markets. Jobs are actively shifting. Industries focusing very heavily on tech, and AI seems to becoming a cornerstone of every company. If you want to be innovating you have to have some form of AI,” Mansouri explained.
David Nelson is the associate director for Purdue Center for Instructional Excellence and a courtesy faculty in the John Martinson Honors College. He’s helping implement Purdue University’s AI policy.
He says people should not think of AI as software. “Software does the same thing every time – correctly. You open a word processor or a browser it does the same thing for everybody. AI is not like that. The analogy I like is an alien intern. It’s really smart. Knows tons of things. But unless you direct it very specifically — it’s going to run awry and demonstrate, ‘Wow I do not know culture. I do not have reflective thoughts. I don’t care about you. That’s going to come out really – really quickly.’”
When asked if Purdue is seeing students rethinking their majors because their job might not exist due to AI, Nelson said, “That’s a great question it’s a little outside of my scope and expertise – I think students are definitely concerned about it employers are concerned about it.”
AI video making example. (WISH Photos)
WISH-TV’s Hanna Mordoh tested out an AI platform taking a news anchor’s position. She used Chat GPT to create a 10 second script on AI taking jobs, then it guided her to the video making website Synthesia that quickly created an AI person that read the script. The process took about ten minutes.
Nelson said without the hard data, “The closest thing I have is a presentation I gave to a Food Science Advisory Board that was about 60 executives. And most of them said, ‘We still want the same kind of skills that are coming through a Food Science Program and we don’t want those planted by AI because that’s not the type of workforce that we’re looking for… But we’re generally expecting students to be more familiar with the technology as they come out.’”
Even within the university, AI is shaping careers.
“Foundational AI literacy is the the most important thing here,” Kenny Wilson said. He is one year into a new role as the director of AI and automation for Purdue IT.
“My title is AI and Automation and those two fields are becoming more and more blurred,” Wilson explained.
He helps faculty use AI as a tool to make their jobs easier and is working on creating AI tools for students, such as chat bots to help guide students through changing majors or prepping for advisor meetings.
“Figuring out where we can add value, add efficiency and free people up from the monotony – to work that is more creative – more fulfilling and really requires people,” Wilson said.
Some students say certain industries are turning to people less often.
According to a 2025 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. College graduates with Computer Science and Computer Engineering degrees have some of the highest unemployment rates at 6.1% and 7.5%. One of the lowest unemployment rates is a degree in construction services at at 0.7%.
Numbers show people are turning to hands-on careers.
“You’re going to learn a trade and skill set no one will take away from you.”
Bob Stieneker is the business manager for the Indianapolis United Association Local 440 union. WISH-TV toured the learning facility and talked to him in June. He says over the past five years, the union’s class has tripled in size, from 223 apprentices in 2020 to 668 in 2025.
He says AI is not the main reason people are turning to trades, but more students are mentioning the uncertainty of AI taking future jobs.
“The great thing about hands-on trades is AI can’t replace that,” Stieneker said.
As for students Jones and Monsouri at Purdue, they’re making sure they are not replaced.
“You have to learn how it’s affecting your job so you can adapt to that,” Jones said.
“It’s very much you if you’re not working with AI and know how to use these tools, you’re no longer competitive in the market,” Mansouri said.
