Published: Mon, 18 Aug 2025 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Summary:
Jad Tarifi, an early leader behind Google’s first generative AI team, has issued a stark warning: traditional degrees—especially PhDs in fields like AI, law, or medicine—may become outdated before students even graduate. With AI developing at breathtaking speed, he urges learners to reconsider the value of long, rigid academic routes.
Why a PhD Might No Longer Be Worth It
In a bold remark by Jad Tarifi a noted figure in the world of artificial intelligence and Founder of Google’s first generative AI team, cautioned that advanced degrees may no longer offer lasting value. He predicts that by the time students complete a PhD—typically five to seven years—the AI field may have dramatically transformed, rendering what they studied obsolete .
Read In Hindi -गूगल की जेनरेटिव AI टीम के संस्थापक ने छात्रों को चेतावनी दी
गूगल की जेनरेटिव AI टीम के फाउंडर Jad Tarifi की चेतावनी: इन डिग्रियों का भविष्य AI से खत्म हो जाएगा
His message: unless you’re deeply obsessed with your research topic, a PhD may not yield the return it once did.
Law and Medicine Aren’t Safe Either
Tarifi didn’t spare other professions. He emphasized that degrees in law and medicine are also at risk of devaluation due to their long duration and outdated, memorisation-based curricula. He suggests students could end up “wasting years” chasing outdated knowledge as AI rapidly advances.
What Should Students Do Instead?
His solution? Focus on adaptability and human strengths. Tarifi recommends pursuing emerging, niche fields—like AI applied to biology—where innovation is still unfolding. Alternatively, he proposes bypassing academia altogether for direct engagement with real-world challenges
The Real Skills That Matter in an AI-Driven World
Tarifi highlights a shift from credentialism to skills like emotional intelligence, creativity, and ethical judgment—attributes where humans still outperform machines. He urges students to develop these inherently human traits if they want to remain relevant
