May 12, 2026
Category: Academics, All School Meeting, Liberal Arts
This blog will cover a wide range of our recent discussions on AI and its relationship to liberal arts education, including the April 2026 Liberal Arts in the Age of AI Symposium.
The most profound advancements – the printing press, electricity, automobiles, airplanes, smartphones and the internet have come from the intersection of powerful technology and human intellect. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest of these transformative intersections with the power to write code, create content, generate reports, manipulate images and simulate conversations.
With each innovation comes concerns about its impact on humans, the future of work, and how the new technology will integrate with and challenge human capabilities. With AI transforming many workplaces and industries, a critical conversation is underway among educators, students and parents about the enduring value of the liberal arts education. Urgent questions frame these conversations: will our children be prepared for the future, stand out in competitive careers, and possess the adaptability needed to navigate shifting industries? In short, how valuable is a liberal arts education in this rapidly evolving world of AI?
Our community began an ongoing dialogue about the value of a Liberal Arts education in the age of artificial intelligence at a symposium-style gathering of all students, from our youngest learners to our graduating seniors. Prior to the symposium on April 21, 2026, our students were asked to complete a survey about their knowledge, use, and feelings toward AI. Those responses served as the foundation for our large- and small-group dialogues.
Marika and Tim opened the symposium by defining terms, including the concept of liberal arts, Waring’s focus on humanities, arts, and sciences, and three common forms of artificial intelligence: predictive, generative, and agentic. With terms defined and statistics gathered from the student survey displayed on the screen for all to see, students broke off into small groups to begin their shared dialogue on artificial intelligence.
The overarching question students were asked to consider in their small group setting was “How might your learning experience be affected by AI?”
The comments and questions that emerged from the conversations helped all of us understand that there are many viewpoints and perspectives on this complex topic.
Students in Groups 1, 2 & 3 had nervous concerns and questions about the use of AI and its impact on the world. Here are just some of the main concerns they raised.
While many groups discussed concerns and raised questions for deeper consideration, there were also many comments about the positive aspects of AI and how it can enrich and be used as a tool to enhance skills.
While the symposium is just the start of an ongoing dialogue about AI, many students expressed gratitude for the opportunity to discuss their fears and hopes for this rapidly evolving technology.
Waring Trustee, Jess Rose ‘02, addressed this topic directly, discussing the “Case for a Liberal Arts Education” in the fall 2025 edition of the Waring Alumni Magazine, “Notecards from Waring.” Rose argues that the liberal arts provide the foundation for experiencing the world’s breadth and depth and composing a meaningful, flourishing life. Building on that perspective, her experience as a teacher and a learner reaffirms that the core purpose of education is to help us understand our history, our dynamic selves and how to build a better future. In essence, the liberal arts, at their best, are a pathway back to our humanity.
The liberal arts focus on building enduring capacities for critical thinking, ethical reasoning and understanding the broader context. These are the precise strengths – the ability to ask tough questions, communicate with confidence, respect diverse perspectives, and think critically about ethical challenges – that future employers require of their employees.
According to a recent article published in Community College Daily, AI may be able to crunch numbers and generate content through a program, but it cannot be programmed to possess values, intentions, or feelings. It cannot make moral choices, weigh competing values, or genuinely empathize. These are distinctly human capacities. They are precisely the strengths that liberal arts education develops and sustains.
As educators and critical thinkers, we often look to research to support or refute arguments. The conversation regarding the value of a liberal arts education in the age of artificial intelligence is no different. We examine evidence from recent studies, insights from fellow educators and experienced business leaders, as we come to realize that “artificial intelligence is exactly that: an artificial version of what can only be the unique human ability to lead, advocate, speak, right, design, create, feel, empathize, envision and innovate. (U.S. News & World Report)
Greg Weiner, President of Assumption University, argued in a recent Washington Post essay that AI’s most valuable use is to enhance human judgment, not replace it. While AI excels at pattern recognition, summarization and processing enormous data volumes, it lacks human judgment. It cannot weigh competing moral claims, interpret cultural nuance, or assume responsibility for decisions. In short, AI cannot be accountable. This distinction is everything.
Offering further evidence to this claim is the survey completed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The 2023 Career-Ready Graduate Survey found that 8 in 10 employers believe higher education prepares graduates for success and that earning a degree remains worthwhile. Employers consistently emphasized in the survey the importance of critical thinking, ethical judgment, teamwork, and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world contexts.
Similarly, research published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics (2020) by David Deming and Kadeem Noray found that rapid technological progress leads to higher turnover in STEM careers, as technical skills quickly become obsolete. A liberal arts education, conversely, fosters durable, versatile skills that lead to lower turnover and help humanities graduates catch up in salary by their 40s. Since the need for judgment is constant, the value of the liberal arts endures, even as AI reshapes specialized industries.
Since the term “artificial intelligence” was coined at the Dartmouth Conference in 1956, fears of job displacement, social manipulation, and the loss of human control have only grown. Recent research, however, shows that employers are recognizing the value of a workforce that can do more than just code or work on machines. They want a workforce that can think, make decisions and have human skills that aren’t found in any algorithm.
According to a 2023 survey of over 1,000 executives and hiring managers by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, 93% of employers prioritize written and oral communication, critical thinking, and ethical judgment in recent graduates. These are not technical skills like coding or software platforms; they are distinctly human capabilities.
Deloitte’s 2025 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey found that while technical skills are important, younger generations place even greater value on soft skills, such as empathy, leadership and adaptability, in an AI-driven workplace. Furthermore, based on recent McKinsey Global Institute research, the demand for social and emotional skills in the United States is projected to rise significantly by 2030, with some estimates showing a 14% to 26% increase in hours worked due to AI adoption, as employers prioritize skills like empathy, leadership and critical thinking that machines cannot easily replicate.
LinkedIn’s 2023 Workplace Learning report echoes this trend, noting that management, communication, leadership, research and analysis remain among the most sought-after skills across industries. These are precisely the abilities that liberal arts education develops.
A Final Word All this research tells us what we already understand as educators. Students studying the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, or some combination of these gain skills that machines will never master. Liberal arts help students make sense of a complex and sometimes messy human world. They teach us to thrive on the richness of the human experience, or, as W.E.B. DuBois put it, they train citizens in a democracy.
Best-selling author and professional speaker, David Meerman Scott, may have said it best. “A liberal arts education has never looked more valuable than it does right now. Rather than teaching a specific set of technical skills that could become obsolete tomorrow, a liberal arts program teaches you how to think.”
