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While Silicon Valley showers multimillion-dollar offers on AI talent, not everyone is buying into the hype. Jad Tarifi, the mind behind Google’s first generative AI team, has a blunt message for ambitious students: think twice before chasing a PhD just to ride the AI wave.
Speaking to Business Insider, Tarifi delivered a reality check that might ruffle some feathers. “AI itself is going to be gone by the time you finish a PhD. Even things like applying AI to robotics will be solved by then. So either get into something niche, like AI for biology, which is still in its infancy, or just don’t get into anything at all,” he said.
Despite holding a PhD in AI from the University of Florida, Tarifi does not glamorise the path. He describes it as a pursuit best left to the “weird people” willing to trade five years of their life for “a lot of pain.” His advice is clear: “I don’t think anyone should ever do a PhD unless they are genuinely obsessed with the field.”
With the AI landscape evolving at lightning speed, Tarifi argues that real learning happens outside the ivory towers of academia. “If you are unsure, you should definitely default to ‘no’ and focus on just living in the world… You will move much faster, learn a lot more, and become more adaptive to change,” he said.
Tarifi’s scepticism extends beyond AI. He warns that long, traditional degree paths, like medicine and law, are at risk of obsolescence. “In the current medical system, what you learn in medical school is often outdated and based on memorisation,” he noted, adding that people end up “throwing away” years chasing credentials that may no longer hold value.
So, how does one thrive in the AI age? According to Tarifi, emotional intelligence now matters more than technical qualifications. Skills such as prompting AI or reading context, rooted in empathy and intuition, will be far more valuable. “The best thing to work on is internal: meditate, socialise with friends, get to know yourself emotionally,” he advises.
This focus on empathy is echoed by Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind. Speaking to Wired, Hassabis emphasised that roles requiring human connection, like nursing, will not be easily replaced. “There’s a lot of things I think we won’t want to do with a machine,” he said. “Maybe a doctor’s diagnosis could be aided by AI… but not everything.”
As AI surges forward, the lesson is clear: chasing credentials alone will not secure your future. Instead, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and a willingness to navigate uncharted territory may be the real keys to thriving in the new world.
