AI and Future of the Social Sciences

14-07-2026 12:00:00 AM

Metro India News | Hyderabad

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the architecture of higher education worldwide. Every country is asking the same question: will today's degrees remain relevant to tomorrow's job market? Nations differ sharply in their answers. Some are eliminating courses outright, while others are layering AI onto existing curricula. The real debate lies between these approaches: What becomes of Social Sciences?

Between 2021 and 2025, China scrapped over 12,200 undergraduate courses while adding more than 10,200 new ones, affecting over 30 per cent of degree programmes nationwide. New courses emerged in AI, robotics, semiconductors, quantum applications and embodied intelligence, while most discontinued ones belonged to languages, arts and social sciences. By 2023, China had targeted restructuring 20 per cent of majors by 2025, driven by competition with the United States in semiconductors and AI. A Mycos report notes that social science graduates earn significantly less than technical graduates, with software engineers earning nearly 30 per cent more monthly than visual design graduates.

In the United States, the impact differs. Harvard's social science and arts enrolment fell from 15.5% to 12.5% over a decade. OECD reports similar declines across 80% of member countries. Britain discontinued over 4,000 courses, with Nottingham suspending over 40 courses & Leicester shut its Film Studies and Modern Languages departments. Yet Deloitte's 2026 report projects renewed demand for social sciences as AI boosts the value of critical thinking and ethical reasoning.

Singapore's SkillsFuture promotes lifelong skilling, with all university and polytechnic entrants taking foundational AI from 2027. South Korea funds universities integrating AI into 30% of courses by 2027. Japan's Society 5.0 combines AI with disciplines through hybrid learning and digital social sciences, while Vietnam and Indonesia are monitoring China's approach without adopting course cuts.

India's Budget 2026–27 allocated Rs 1.39 lakh crore to education, including over Rs 55,700 crore for higher education, while making AI compulsory from Class 3. National graduate employability is 42.5%; Telangana's is 47.5%, exceeding 51% in non-technical fields. TG EAPCET 2025 filled 91% of CS/IT seats, offering 12,000+ AI/ML and 26,000+ CSE seats.

The state has signed an MoU with Deakin University for a proposed AI University in Future City, extended CodeMitra AI literacy to 2 million government school students in Classes 5 to 9, and plans AI- and skills-based minority colleges in ten district headquarters, though these remain pilots rather than universal standards.

The WEF's Future of Jobs Report 2025 found seven in ten employers rank analytical thinking first for the third consecutive report, with creative thinking fourth and resilience, leadership and social influence also in the top five. Georgetown and the Russell Group found many social science graduates match or exceed STEM earnings and employment outcomes. India should integrate AI into every degree without sacrificing social sciences. NEP 2020 must promote AI integration, digital social sciences and systems thinking, not arbitrary course cuts. Following Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Telangana's balanced approach can create graduates with AI skills and humanistic values, advancing Viksit Bharat 2047.