AI Experts Remain Interested in Academic Careers, Despite Industry Incentives
When the ride-hailing company Uber sought to establish a new facility in Pittsburgh in 2015 focused on self-driving cars, it looked to the researchers and scientists at the nearby Carnegie Mellon University robotics center. Soon after, the company lured away 40 of the center’s employees, including the director, with doubled salaries and bonuses in the hundreds of thousands.
A Contrary Narrative
High-profile stories like these have contributed to a prevailing narrative that artificial intelligence experts leave academe for industry in droves. But the dearth of AI professors at U.S. universities is not the result of a distorted job market, according to a report issued this month from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Rather, AI experts remain interested in academic careers, but university hiring of AI faculty has not kept pace with student demand.
A Historical Perspective
Historically, academe has delivered a steady stream of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs that has fueled an AI innovation ecosystem. This stream has been directly correlated with AI faculty teaching capacity. But while student enrollment in computer science programs has skyrocketed in the past decade, universities have not hired enough computer science faculty to meet that demand.
Industry’s Response
In an apparent response to increased student demand, universities have restricted access to AI programs by limiting enrollment in high-demand classes, reducing the number of small-enrollment classes, and tightening computer science admission requirements, according to Jack Corrigan, one of the report’s authors. At the same time, burgeoning numbers of computer science Ph.D. recipients have expressed interest in academic careers, but universities have not responded with a commensurate increase in faculty positions.
Technology Companies as Alternative Pathways
Technology companies, for their part, have stepped in to pick up some of the student demand by offering alternative pathways to AI education and training. Google, for example, does not always require prospective employees to have earned bachelor of science degrees. “The excitement is no longer coming from the universities, but from innovative companies driving transformation like SpaceX, Amazon, Apple, OpenAI, and other for-profit businesses that are leaving a traditional education model in the dust,” said John Nosta, Google Health Advisory Board member and World Health Organization founding member of the digital health expert roster.
Conclusion
The report suggests that AI experts remain interested in academic careers, but university hiring of AI faculty has not kept pace with student demand. While industry has a role to play in developing AI talent, it is essential to consider the incentives that are driving the behaviors of each actor. Universities must think critically about their role in developing the tech workforce in an equitable, just, and socially optimal way.
FAQs
Q: Why are AI experts leaving academe for industry?
A: The report suggests that AI experts are not leaving academe for industry in droves. Instead, university hiring of AI faculty has not kept pace with student demand.
Q: What is the role of technology companies in developing AI talent?
A: Technology companies are offering alternative pathways to AI education and training, but it is essential to consider the incentives that are driving their behaviors.
Q: What is the incentive structure for universities?
A: The incentive structure for universities is different from that of private companies. Universities are driven by a desire to educate and conduct research, whereas private companies are driven by profit.
Q: What is the solution to the AI workforce shortage?
A: The solution lies in universities thinking critically about their role in developing the tech workforce in an equitable, just, and socially optimal way. This may involve new programs in K-12 and high school/precollege educational programs.
