Archive · 4 Jan 2026
Human Skills Gain Advantage in AI Age
In the age of AI, some people think studying subjects like history and philosophy is not useful.
These subjects are part of the liberal arts, which have been around for a long time.
The liberal arts help people understand the world and make their own decisions.
But now, AI can do some of the things that people used to learn in these subjects, like analyzing information and writing.
This makes some people worry that the liberal arts are not as important anymore.
However, there are new ways to teach these skills.
For example, some programs use entrepreneurship to help students learn how to think critically, work with others, and solve problems.
These programs exist in different countries, like the United States, Switzerland, and Israel.
The most important skills now are not just knowing information, but being able to ask good questions, handle uncertainty, and take action.
Schools that teach these skills will help students shape the future.
Liberal arts enrollments have declined by 17% in the past decade in US higher education.
AI is automating tasks traditionally taught in liberal arts, such as analysis and writing.
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) uses entrepreneurship to teach human skills.
Global programs in Switzerland and Israel use similar models to cultivate human skills through real-world experience.
The defining competencies of our era include agency, critical thinking, and the ability to turn ideas into action.
- Who
- Students, educators, and institutions
- What
- The decline of liberal arts and the rise of AI
- When
- Over the past decade, with increasing impact in recent years
- Where
- Primarily in the United States, with global examples in Switzerland and Israel
- Why
- To adapt to the changing landscape of education and work in the age of AI
- Liberal arts enrollments
- Down 17% over the past decade in US higher education
- Liberal arts colleges
- Several have shuttered
- Liberal arts purpose
- Promote human freedom and understanding of the world
- AI impact
- Automates analysis, argumentation, and intellectual labor
- NFTE
- Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, founded in 1987
- NFTE's approach
- Uses entrepreneurship to teach human skills
- Global models
- Similar programs exist in Switzerland and Israel
- Defining competencies
- Agency, critical thinking, and action-taking