Over 1,000 University of Nebraska Omaha graduates celebrated their achievements Friday, but they're entering a challenging job market, as artificial intelligence reshapes entire industries.
The Mavericks received their diplomas during a ceremony featuring keynote speaker Adam Wright, former NFL fullback and current Pilot CEO. However, the celebration comes with uncertainty.
"AI is starting to pop up and take more people's creative jobs," said Stella Barrett, a Public Relations and Advertising major.
AI is infiltrating nearly every sector of the economy. Business graduates now compete with algorithms for analytics and marketing positions, while public affairs majors face sophisticated policy-analysis software. Media students are watching AI create content that once required human creativity.
"I think AI is destroying the human creativity and the human connection that journalism and communications has so I just don't want to see that continue to disintegrate," said Stella Barrett.
Jack Zalewski, who studied finance, one of the fields MIT identifies as most vulnerable to AI disruption, believes interpersonal skills offer protection.
"A good way to hedge against that is through this, you know, people, people skills, soft skills, connections, stuff like that," Zalewski said. "There's a lot of that in my role, so it's a little bit less concerning, but there's also a lot of things that it can replace in my role. Just gotta get good at the stuff it can't do."
November economic data shows unemployment at 4.6%, according to Forbes. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that entry-level positions face particular threats from AI technology, with hiring remaining flat for new graduates.
Sandy and Jared Mellem watched their daughter graduate, but she hasn't secured employment despite interning at an Omaha nonprofit.
"It's a little scary, you know, especially with how expensive things are, you know, are they going to be able to afford rent and groceries and not relying on mom and dad to help out," Sandy Mellem said.
Despite widespread concerns about AI's reach, graduate Tino Musekiwa believes human connection remains irreplaceable.
"ChatGPT or AI can't really take over that realm because it's like really people-oriented and like things that we as humans can do chat or like AI cannot do," Musekiwa said.
For these Mavericks, graduation represents more than walking across a stage, it's stepping into a workplace fundamentally transformed by technology.
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