“In the past decade, we have witnessed rapid transformations in the world due to the revolution in technology and generative AI. These changes present new opportunities, but also risks and challenges with regards to how human society confronts the complexities of the 21st century.”
AI @ RUNI
The Artificial Intelligence Revolution at Reichman University
Upon assuming the role of president, Prof. Boaz Ganor announced an institutional reform at the university. He developed an innovative model for teaching and learning, which combines changes in content across the various disciplines with a long-term approach that includes a structural change of the degree programs.
The goal of the reform, which will begin to be implemented this year, is to adapt the content, study methods, and later also the structure of the curricula, to the generative AI revolution. In this framework, courses have been designed to acquaint students with the AI revolution within the various disciplines taught at the university.
The reform will be carried out through cooperation between the schools, based on the foundational principle of interdisciplinarity that has guided the university since its establishment thirty years ago.
The generative artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is already underway, and it brings with it questions about its impact on the future job market and, consequently, also on the content and teaching methodologies in higher education. To navigate the challenges in this era of uncertainty — in which the physical world lacks agreement about what is true and what is false, the emotional realm involves grappling with powerful external influences like social media and modern technology, which infiltrate our personal lives, and the workforce finds itself in rapid and frequent transition between roles and jobs — it is crucial to develop a dynamic toolbox. This toolbox must encompass interdisciplinary knowledge, effective tools for independent and critical thinking, decision-making strategies, and the cultivation of creativity. Beyond this, a set of humane and Zionist values should be formulated to serve as a guiding compass in making the right decisions for the development of one’s personal career and the betterment of the country and society as a whole.
As noted, the generative AI revolution will have far-reaching effects on the job market in the near future, in almost every discipline. Some of the traditional professions will disappear, new professions will be created, and most existing professions will undergo transformations. Therefore, the job market’s demands of university graduates will gradually change, something that all institutions of higher education in Israel and the world need to recognize and prepare for accordingly.
Reichman University, as the only private, not-for-profit university in Israel, is a trailblazer and frontrunner in academic innovation and the adoption of new technologies. Its core mission is to train the future leaders of Israeli society in all areas of life — the public sector, the business and legal worlds, and the domains of technology, media, and mental health. It achieves this goal by preparing students for careers in various fields equipped with up-to-date knowledge, methodologies and tools tailored for a new world that is developing at an exponential rate. No less important is the university’s commitment to instilling values, attributes, and skills that are essential for navigating an evolvingand challenging reality.
Effects of the AI revolution on the job market:
Existing professions will disappear
New professions will be created
Most existing professions will undergo fundamental transformations
Academic curricula will be adapted to meet employers’ demands