You’ve probably used ChatGPT to help with an essay or asked an AI to generate some quick graphics for a project. You may have experimented with AI photo editors or used Grammarly to polish your writing. If so, you’re already getting a taste of what’s happening across every industry right now. While you’ve been mastering these tools for quick searches and personal projects, workplaces everywhere are discovering the power of AI in fields like healthcare, marketing, and social work. Since most companies are still figuring out how to harness these tools, students who understand AI have a golden opportunity to step up and lead the way.
The New Career Reality Check
According to LinkedIn’s emerging jobs data, AI-related roles have expanded across all industries. Not just in Silicon Valley tech companies, but also in healthcare, finance, marketing, education, and even small liberal arts colleges. These roles are often associated with salary premiums of 20-30% above industry average. However, what’s really interesting is that most of these emerging opportunities don’t require becoming a programmer or a machine learning engineer.
What these roles increasingly require is something called “AI literacy”: the ability to understand, evaluate, and thoughtfully use AI tools in your field. It’s a bit like driving: you don’t need to build an engine to be a great driver, but you do need to know the rules of the road and how to navigate changing conditions. A generation ago, those who quickly adopted new digital tools at work became indispensable. Now, the same transformation is unfolding with AI. If you can skillfully use AI in your role, whether you’re a social worker, accountant, teacher, or business owner, you’ll shine in your field.
How Are People Using AI?
We’re already seeing creative applications of AI in fields that weren’t always known for technological innovation, and the benefits are astounding.
Healthcare professionals are using AI to improve patient outcomes. For example, Mayo Clinic has developed algorithms that can detect low ejection fraction (a weak heart pump) from routine 12-lead ECG readings, with clinical trials showing a 31% increase in early detection compared to standard care alone (Yao et al., 2024).
Artists are exploring new forms of creative expression, such as Sougwen Chung’s “Drawing Operations Unit Generation (DOUG),” where she collaborates with a robotic arm in live performances, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity (Which Artists Are Using AI and Why?.)
Social workers are finding more efficient ways to connect people with resources through AI tools like Magic Notes, which reduces administrative workload by 48% by automatically transcribing and summarizing case conversations, freeing up time for direct client care (Social work has a paperwork problem. Solving it could make more space for human connection | Dropbox Blog.)
This cross-disciplinary nature actually plays to the strengths of liberal arts education. Students who can think across multiple domains, who understand ethical frameworks, and who can communicate complex ideas clearly are exactly the kind of professionals who can leverage AI most effectively.
You don’t have to be limited by your major. By weaving AI skills into your studies, you can build on your unique strengths and open up new possibilities in your chosen field.
What AI Literacy Actually Means
So what does it actually mean to be AI literate? You don’t need to memorize algorithms or master advanced math. Instead, you can focus on building a few key skills that are accessible to every student:
Understanding what AI can and cannot do: This means recognizing where AI can help, spotting opportunities for innovation, and thinking about how human creativity and AI can complement each other.
Communication and collaboration: As AI becomes more common, those who can connect technical possibilities with real human needs will be especially valuable. These are the people who help turn AI’s potential into practical solutions.
Practical application skills. This means learning to utilize AI tools creatively in your field. For example, you might use AI writing assistants to improve your communication, data tools to find insights, or design tools to bring your ideas to life.
Ethical leadership and thoughtful innovation. Perhaps most importantly, AI literacy means using these tools responsibly and guiding their use in ways that benefit people. This includes being able to spot bias, protect privacy, and ensure that AI is used to help rather than harm.
The Advantage at Pfeiffer
Small colleges like Pfeiffer offer tailored opportunities for students to gain practical AI skills relevant to their unique academic paths. The program is designed to complement your current academic focus, allowing you to apply AI concepts to your major directly.
Our hybrid-online format provides flexibility for busy students, while hands-on coursework fosters collaboration and enables you to experience AI applications firsthand. This structure ensures you can enhance your capabilities (whether in business, psychology, education, or art) by integrating AI tools into your skill set. For example, as an art major, you gain the expertise to use AI in design, expanding career options and showcasing innovation to employers.
This program offers a flexible, blended learning approach that fits your schedule while prioritizing real-world experience. Upon graduation, you’ll have both your degree and tangible experience applying AI tools in practical situations. This enables you to demonstrate problem-solving skills in interviews and show employers clear examples of your ability to use AI in your field.
Join Us for the Future
Business students are using AI to understand customer behavior better and analyze data. Education majors are trying out new ways to personalize learning. Art students are exploring how AI can support their creative process.
Across the board, students are also building ethical skills that employers value. Those who develop practical AI literacy are well-positioned to help guide how these technologies are used in society. By the time you graduate, you’ll be asking important questions about equity and ethics, and working on solutions that address real challenges and improve lives. You can use your talents and interests to be part of the biggest tech changes of your time. Whether you like helping others, solving problems, creating art, or building communities, AI literacy can help you make a bigger impact. Even if you have little to no tech background, we’d love for you to join us in building the future.
References
Yao, X., Rushlow, D. R., Inselman, J. W., Attia, Z. I., Behnken, E. M., Kapa, S., Tourists, T. A., Barry, B. A., Nelson, T. J., Keenan, R. T., Carter, R. E., Shah, N. D., McCoy, R. G., Friedman, P. A., & Noseworthy, P. A. (2024). Artificial intelligence–enabled electrocardiograms for identification of patients with low ejection fraction: A pragmatic, randomized clinical trial. Nature Medicine, 30(5), 1304-1313. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-02961-4
Chung, S. (2024). Drawing operations unit generation (DOUG). In Seven exciting artists who use AI as a medium of expression. STIR. https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-seven-exciting-artists-who-use-ai-as-a-medium-of-expression
Codrington, N. (2025, April 23). Magic Notes: AI-powered transcription reduces social work administrative burden by 48%. Dropbox Blog. https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/work-culture/social-worker-burnout-ai-tools-casework-documentation