Future Focus | Will Teachers Still Have Jobs? What New AI Research Says About the Future of Teaching

New research from OpenAI, Google, PwC, LinkedIn, and Coursera offers a clearer picture of how AI may reshape work and why teaching’s most human qualities may become its greatest protection. This episode explores why trust, judgment, coaching, and connection matter more than ever, while challenging school leaders to decide deliberately what AI should automate and what must remain fundamentally human. 

Timestamps

• 00:00 — “Do you think I’m going to have a job?” The question educators are quietly asking—and what new research can finally tell us about AI and employment.
• 05:50 — Why teaching remains human OpenAI’s concept of “relational necessity” and why trust, care, teaching, and human connection distinguish education from work that can be more easily automated.
• 11:00 — A profession can survive while jobs still change Why human necessity doesn’t guarantee unchanged staffing, and how AI productivity, budgets, enrollment, and demand elasticity could reshape teaching roles.
• 15:20 — AI at work is “broad but shallow” Google and PwC research reveals how people are actually using AI today—and why empathy, creativity, leadership, judgment, and other “durable skills” are increasing in value.
• 20:00 — Are schools preparing students for the AI economy? LinkedIn and Coursera data show rising demand for AI literacy, leading to a challenge for educators: protect the relational work that makes teaching valuable while preparing students to use AI responsibly. 

Explore More from Designing Schools

• AI Together - Sign up for the free seven-day challenge here with family and classroom versions, designed around 15–20 minute daily conversations about AI.
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• 🤝 Partner with Us: Join the AI Power Circle and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: Designing Schools - a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: The Future Ready Student AI Playbook a 10-hour course experience to graduate your students AI ready.

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