The AI zombification of universities

And, anyway, the point the article is trying to make is obvious. What's absolutely not obvious, and what it sheds very little light on, is what the University is going to look like in 10 years. Not what it should look like, but what it is most likely to look like.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#5

Post by 0xkvyb » Thu, May 14, 2026, 7:43 PM UTC

I think that universities just have to adapt to deal with slop, or think of new ways to challenge people to learn the essence of their studies. I wouldn’t want to be a uni teacher in these times though.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#6

Post by paulpauper » Thu, May 14, 2026, 7:44 PM UTC

Universities will still act as gatekeepers of prestige and status. There is no AI alternative to the top-20 schools...I remember all the hype from 10-15 years ago about how online learning and "MIT courseware" would upend the universities or threaten credentialism, and nothing even close to that happened. As it turned out, the online version of MIT is not a substitute for the actual thing.

Schools will adapt, as they have already, by weighing grading more towards in-class quizzes and tests . I think the humanities will continue to struggle, but I see the AI boom making STEM more relevant, even if AI can automate a lot of code or math.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#7

Post by djeastm » Thu, May 14, 2026, 7:44 PM UTC

ls612 wrote: post #2

This whole piece is AI generated.

It sounds to me like how I'd imagine a Philosophy student at the University of Chicago would write.

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#8

Post by josemanuel » Thu, May 14, 2026, 7:45 PM UTC

dorianmariecom wrote: post #3

ls612 wrote: post #2

This whole piece is AI generated.

this comment is ai generated

AI generated or not, I concur. I rally want to know what Universities will look like in 10 years time. What will be taught there that cannot be taught by an AI (whatever form or interface it has).

Will Universities still be centers of knowledge and exploration? or will that be more disseminated through society, and so Universities not so important?

What courses will exist? Are those vastly different from today's courses?

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#9

Post by djeastm » Thu, May 14, 2026, 7:49 PM UTC

paulpauper wrote: post #6

Universities will still act as gatekeepers of prestige and status. There is no AI alternative to the top-20 schools...I remember all the hype from 10-15 years ago about how online learning and "MIT courseware" would upend the universities or threaten credentialism, and nothing even close to that happened. As it turned out, the online version of MIT is not a substitute for the actual thing. Schools will adapt, as they…

> by weighing grading more towards in-class quizzes and tests

The piece discusses blue book tests where students were still cheating with their phones providing AI responses

Re: The AI zombification of universities

#10

Post by chasd00 » Thu, May 14, 2026, 7:50 PM UTC

the screenshot with formulas and then, in the middle of it all, "wait let me be more careful" had me laughing to myself.