Workforce
AI is just starting to make an impact on the higher ed workforce. Few respondents indicated that their institutions have seen formal workforce changes to accommodate AI-related needs (see figure 19).
Figure 19. AI-Related Workforce Changes
Open-ended data provide insight into the various ways AI-related needs are changing the workforce. Just a few respondents described large-scale changes such as the creation of new AI-focused centers and academic programs. In most cases, respondents described AI-related responsibilities being added to existing job duties (both formally and informally) and the formation of committees and working groups related to AI. Respondents also described the creation of the following jobs:
Leadership Positions
- Executive-level AI director/officer (e.g., chief AI officer, associate vice chancellor)
- Chief technology officer
- Senior AI advisor/assistant to executive leader(s)
- Chief data scientist
- Director/manager for academic innovation
- Director of cybersecurity
- AI center leader (e.g., director, assistant director)
- Senior AI architect
- AI program manager (institution-wide)
- Center for teaching and learning manager with focus on emerging technologies
Non-Leadership Positions
- Staff for new AI centers
- Faculty or faculty fellowship
- Postdoctoral fellowship
- Thought leader (contract position)
- Academic innovation / emerging technology staff
- Technology-focused instructional designer
- Chatbot specialist
- Data scientist
- Computational scientist
- Ethicist
- Researcher / research fellowship
- Prompt engineer for course development
- Librarian