May 12, 2026
With the AI boom well underway, tech giants are competing for users to see who can advance the quickest, and the data centers that are being built to support all our AI queries are eating up the world's RAM at a breakneck pace.
And for recent graduates, the AI boom may also be impacting their ability to get a job or begin their careers.
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A survey from ZipRecruiter found that 47% of recent grads believe AI has already had an impact on hiring in their field, according to Forbes (1). Meanwhile, Futurism reports that an anonymous New York financier recently told the Financial Times that new hires who are considered to be "AI natives" are actually turning out to have surprisingly shallow ideas — so much so that the firm he works for is avoiding AI-literate grads while focusing its candidate efforts on humanities grads instead (2).
This is enough to make young people worry about what the future may hold when it comes to their post-secondary education and career.
On May 10, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang spoke to Carnegie Mellon University graduates during their commencement (3), offering his point of view that AI won't ruin your career dreams, but rather a "new industry is being born."
"A new era of science and discovery is beginning… I cannot imagine a more exciting time to begin your life's work," he shared with 5,800 graduates in Pittsburgh. "No generation has entered the world with more powerful tools — or greater opportunities — than you. We are all standing at the same starting line. This is your moment to help shape what comes next. So run. Don't walk."
Huang's words were encouraging, and there's little doubt that some young people will see success in their early careers and life's work because of AI and technological advances. But we don't really know what's coming next, which was part of the message that Scott Galloway shared in a recent appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast on May 4 (4).
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Galloway and podcast host Steven Bartlett discussed how parents can AI-proof their children's futures, and the former shared two main skills he thinks will help kids succeed.
Story telling and building relationships
When asked which skills will matter most in the future, Galloway recommends that parents help their children with developing skills like storytelling and building relationships.
He mentions that 10 years ago, private schools were focused on teaching kids Mandarin and computer science for future success (5). "How's that worked out?" said Galloway. "'Thank god my kid knows Mandarin,' said nobody right now."
Galloway refers to storytelling as "the most enduring skill," describing what he means as "your ability to look at data, create a narrative arc, and then communicate that story in a compelling way."
He mentions some of the most successful CEOs are strong storytellers, referencing a letter to shareholders Jeff Bezos sent in 1997 that had him wanting to invest immediately (6).
In addition, Galloway describes his second critical skill as "the ability to establish strong relationships with other sentient beings."
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He argues that when we build relationships, in real life and not just online, it can help drive success. A strong network can be a huge asset that can help young workers with finding the right roles or growth opportunities. Relationships can also help young workers with starting a business, speaking to potential customers and driving both personal and professional growth.
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One more skill for good measure
Galloway also hinted at a third skill that young people, especially young men, are struggling with: rejection. "It's hugely underrated… the ability to endure rejection," he said.
Galloway recommends giving young people as many opportunities as possible to try to build a friendship or a relationship and hear "no," which would force them to learn how to deal with it and move on. Drawing from his own experience, Galloway says the "secret to his success is rejection."
The one thing we can say about the future with certainty is that it is unpredictable. This means the best way we can support our kids is to help them develop into well-rounded people who care about the world and those around them.
Taking Galloway's advice in helping them develop their ability to tell a compelling story, build and nurture relationships and bounce back quickly after rejection are three skills that could serve them well, no matter what the future holds.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Forbes (1); Futurism (2); Axios (3); YouTube (4),(6); Business Insider (5).
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Joanna Sinclair holds a B.A. in Professional Writing from York University and has been working in digital media for nearly two decades.
