Don't study medicine or law: Former Google employee says AI will catch up with you by the time you graduate

Everyone is aware that Artificial Intelligence is gradually taking over many professions, forcing those in these fields to update their knowledge and seek alternative ways to earn a living.

The application of AI in the labor market is still limited, but many are already seeing the wolf's ears and are preparing for it. For example, students face the dilemma of entering a market where they will no longer only have to compete with more experienced workers , but now also face highly capable machines.

Because in recent years this has been happening, we have always been told that for now AI is only useful for simple and repetitive tasks , many young people have chosen to study more complicated subjects and careers with the aim of being able to place themselves a step above AI , such as medicine or law, among others.

However, Jad Tarifi, founder of Google's first generative AI team, has just given everyone a cold shower by stating that pursuing a PhD or a specialization that takes several years of our lives could turn out to be a waste of time.

For Tarifi, this has to do with the rapid development of AI and its capabilities . "AI itself will be gone by the time you finish your PhD. Even things like applying AI to robotics will be solved by then," he explained to Business Insider.

According to him, it would be better to spend your time studying a more specialized subject related to AI , such as AI for biology, or perhaps not studying at all.

"Higher education as we know it is on the verge of becoming obsolete," Tarifi said. "Thriving in the future will come not from collecting credentials, but from cultivating unique perspectives, agency, emotional awareness, and strong human connections."

"Studying to become a doctor or a lawyer may no longer be worthwhile for ambitious Gen Z. These degrees take so long to complete compared to the speed at which AI is evolving that they can cause students to "waste" years of their lives ," Tarifi adds.

And he's not alone in his comments, as industry figures such as Mark Zuckerberg (Meta) and Sam Altman (OpenAI) have already questioned the high costs of university education, given the current salaries and needs of the market.