The Stanford professor known as the "Godmother of AI" said college degrees are becoming less valuable when her startup hires software engineers, reported Business Insider.
What's happening?
Fei-Fei Li teaches computer science at Stanford and founded the AI company World Labs. She recently discussed her hiring philosophy on "The Tim Ferriss Show."
"When we interview a software engineer, I personally feel the degree they have matters less to us now," Li said. "Now, it's more about what have you learned, what tools do you use, how quickly can you superpower yourself in using these tools, and a lot of these are AI tools."
Li said she would not bring on software engineers at World Labs who refuse to work with AI-assisted coding programs. For her, the willingness to evolve with new technology matters more than years in a classroom.
Other tech leaders have voiced similar opinions. Dan Rhoton, CEO of Hopeworks, a job-training nonprofit for young people, told Business Insider that companies are dropping degree requirements they can no longer justify.
Why is AI's impact on hiring concerning?
The push for AI-fluent workers comes with hidden environmental costs.
Training large AI models and running data centers can use enormous amounts of electricity and water. Data centers have also caused energy bills to increase across the U.S.
AI can help with sustainability goals like making energy grids more efficient or speeding up research on clean technologies. But as more companies prioritize AI skills in hiring, the industry's appetite for energy-intensive computing grows with it.
The environmental tradeoffs of AI expansion deserve attention from both employers and job seekers entering the field.
What can I do to reduce AI's environmental impact?
Small choices, when made by millions of workers, can move the industry toward greener practices.
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Financial assistance for job training 💰 If you use AI tools at work, consider their energy impact. Run AI-intensive tasks during off-peak hours when grids tend to pull more electricity from renewable sources. Choose software and platforms from companies that run their data centers on clean energy.
Ask your employer about sustainability practices tied to AI use. Contact your representatives and voice support for policies requiring tech companies to disclose their AI systems' energy and water consumption.
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