From education to employment: Caleb Knight on empowering the next generation of workers with AI

In this episode of Catalyst, Tammy is joined by Caleb Knight, Director of AI TechX at the University of Tennessee. Caleb comes not from a technology background but from economic development. He brings that lens to his work building connections between industry, academia and government to grow the AI economy in Tennessee. Tammy and Caleb discuss AI job creation, workforce development and the future of education.

Highlights from the episode include:

• AI brings disciplines together. On campus at the University of Tennessee, social work faculty are collaborating with business analytics researchers and agriculture is working with engineering. Caleb sees the university as a place where industry use cases pull experts together with AI serving as the central tool for innovation.
• Don't confuse "human in the loop" with meaningful work. Tammy pushes on the risk of designing AI workflows where humans are reduced to approving AI output all day long. The goal should be using AI to give people more time for the work only humans can do, like spending time with distressed families who need social services or providing empathetic care as a nurse.
• Lifelong learning is now a job skill. The ability to pick up a new technology without being intimidated by it is increasingly valuable. Specific technical credentials mean less with AI changing every three months. In today’s job market, continuous learning and curiosity keep you relevant.

Check out the full episode to hear more about how Caleb sees industry shaping education and why he’s more concerned about the current workforce than college graduates when it comes to new technology.

Enjoying Catalyst? Don’t forget to like and subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday.

Please note that the views expressed in this episode may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.