Mastering AI is career insurance. Upskill now or fall behind
As we've seen with other disruptive technologies over the decades, generative AI's rapid adoption has sparked a very human concern among many in the white-collar workforce: job displacement.
The Pew Research Center published findings from an October 2024 survey that found more than half (52%) of U.S. workers are 'worried' about the future impact of generative AI on their careers. Similarly, a recently published PYMNTS Intelligence Report based on survey results collected a month later revealed as many as 54% of U.S. workers believed genAI posed a 'significant risk' of widespread layoffs.
But are these fears justified?
PYMTS, which publishes news and insights on the financial sector, found 82% of those who use genAI at least weekly reported that it increases their productivity.
From buzzword to must-have: Why AI is now an imperative for business leaders
Other surveys have found similar results. Conducted by researchers from Stanford, George Mason and Clemson Universities, a report published in April found workers using AI claim a three-fold productivity gain, estimating tasks that would normally (i.e., manually) take about 90 minutes to complete can be finished in 30 minutes with the help of genAI.
In other words, perhaps AI tools will augment rather than replace staff to provide the most efficient outcomes for employees — and perhaps yield more profitable results for employers.
Collaboration, not condemnation
Billed as 'your AI companion,' Microsoft's Copilot is one of the biggest players in this space, and the benefits of embracing AI in the workplace are highlighted in the company's latest Work Trend Index.
A recent study showed "that an individual with AI now outperforms a team without it,' affirms Colette Stallbaumer, WorkLab Cofounder and General Manager of Copilot, at Microsoft. 'But a team using AI outperforms them all.'
'It's all about this combination of sort of AI fluency and human skills, and I really believe the future belongs to people who can partner with AI,' adds Stallbaumer.
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On why Copilot, Stallbaumer says it's integrated with 'all the tools that millions of people already use every day at work,' such as the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity apps. 'Copilot goes with you where you work, it understands your organizational data, it's secure, and while you're in control of it all, it's easy for employees to create and build 'agents' and set them to work on their behalf,' she adds.
Leveraging artificial intelligence, AI agents are programs that can perform tasks and achieve goals for you, such as a smart personal assistant that can interact with your customers, like a chatbot that can learn and adapt its behavior over time.
Stallbaumer says the new phrase 'agent boss' refers to a human manager who uses or oversees the work of AI agents.
One example could be a sales professional who might leverage one agent to draft a request for proposal (RFP) and another agent to pull high-potential leads from their CRM data, and then bring the two together.
'Interestingly, our data showed that employees at companies with human-agent teams are actually more satisfied with their work, and so there's something really interesting happening when everyone is empowered with AI.'
Upskilling and new AI-related jobs
While some workers may be losing sleep over the threat of genAI coming after their jobs — and it didn't help that Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy recently conceded that AI will likely reshape its 1.5 million workforce in coming years — employees could in fact learn to master genAI as a kind of insurance policy.
'Our data showed that 47% of business leaders say that their top workforce priority is upskilling existing employees over the next 12 to 18 months,' says Stallbaumer.
Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies, a Silicon Valley–based technology research firm, agrees. 'It's true that AI is going to impact every single job, one way or another — it will take some jobs, but also create a lot of jobs that were not possible before — and existing workers should be learning AI skills, too.'
Milanesi quotes Cisco's President Jeetu Patel. 'Don't be afraid of AI taking your job. Be afraid of someone who knows how to use AI well from taking your job.'
'People can also take advantage of AI to do menial tasks that they don't want to do to free up their time and energy for more interesting parts of the jobs,' adds Milanesi.
Microsoft is calling 2025 'the year the 'frontier firm' is born,' defined by the Work Trend Index as 'a company powered by intelligence on tap, human-agent teams, and a new role for everyone: agent boss.'
And 'remember it's early innings right now,' says Stallbaumer. 'Only 1% of global leaders say their AI strategy is fully implemented, and so as we start to see the emergence of the 'frontier firm' we will see some exciting things ahead.'
'We will have to learn how to leverage and interact with AI, especially in the era of agentic AI,' adds Milanesi, 'and take advantage of this powerful technology for our benefit.'
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You can also opt to use facial recognition technology to lock your computer if you stand Plus, the white ceraluminum finish, which is a sturdy blend of ceramic and aluminum, meets MIL-STD 810H military standards for durability, is scratch resistant and offers a tactile keyboard feel for when you toss everything into a bag. There is also the matter of bloatware; Asus laptops come pre-installed with potentially unwanted apps like McAfee and others. But based on our testing, it's easy to uninstall that stuff for a smooth working experience. Best Value Laptop For College Memory: 16GB | Storage: 1TB | Screen size: 14 inches | Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V | Graphics: Intel Arc | Weight: 3.4 pounds Pros: Cons: If you absolutely need to keep the cost under $1,000, the Dell 14 Plus is a device that costs exactly that and comes with plenty of useful features for your studies. 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With universities increasing their digital footprint with online assignments and projects, a Chromebook is generally only good for document creation and web surfing—and in many classes, a Chromebook will simply not get the job done. If you know for sure that your curriculum won't require a full Windows or Mac laptop though, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus offers a good set of features for under $600, and it's good for note-taking during class. While the Intel i3 chipset is not as powerful as the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor that's used in many laptops on my list of recommendations, it's plenty suitable for streaming Netflix and YouTube videos as well as document and spreadsheet work. One of the major perks to this Chromebook is its Google Gemini integrations. Because it's a Chromebook, you'll get access to Gemini and you can opt for the Adobe Photoshop Express software, which gives you some light editing features. 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Best Laptop For College And Gaming Memory: 32GB | Storage: 1TB | Screen size: 14 inches | Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 300 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | Weight: 3.4 pounds Pros: Cons: If you're a gamer, you want four features: A powerful processor to play AAA titles; an equally powerful graphics card to showcase your game's visual details; enough RAM to help process these heavy applications; and a good display to feel immersed in the game. For college students, adding that gaming element can feel tricky, because now you need to add portability into that mix—and oftentimes, you have to sacrifice one or two features to get a good blend for work and play. That's what makes the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Copilot+ PC laptop so enticing. It manages to pack everything in without these sacrifices, and it's not just for gamers. The powerful combination of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and the 32GB RAM, which can handle heavy application work with ease, makes it ideal for engineering and graphics students. While the gold standard is 16GB, increasingly, laptops have leaned toward 32GB for AI features and other intensive applications. With new technologies in mind, this laptop should last you the entirety of your college career. And of course, after your last class, the Nvidia chip is the latest-gen chip and allows you to play those aforementioned AAA titles. The AMD Ryzen AI 300 chipset also helps with these powerful applications, but it's two-fold. That's because this gaming laptop also offers Microsoft Copilot via a dedicated button, which is great if you use AI to complement your schoolwork. In short, yes, it's good for gamers, but it's also a great choice for students who need a powerful graphics chip that runs on Windows. The 3K OLED display hits 500 nits and offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It makes photo and video edits and games look simply gorgeous, with impressive contrast and deep, inky blacks, according to real students who use this device for classwork and gaming. That said, if you're not a gamer, unless you're using this for heavy schoolwork applications, this laptop may be overkill. I also named this laptop the best ultraportable laptop for gaming, too. Why Trust Forbes Vetted The Forbes Vetted team has published hundreds of tech and electronic guides, including home office essentials like the best home printers and Wi-Fi extenders. How We Chose The Best Laptops For College To determine the best laptops for college, we drew on our own expertise and researched both various laptop features and extensive consumer feedback. Here's how we chose the best laptops for college. What To Consider When Choosing The Best Laptop for College A college laptop should make it easier to handle coursework not just in your dorm room, but in lecture halls, the library and more. However, depending on your major, you may want to prioritize different features to find the best laptop for college for your needs. Here's what you should consider when choosing the best laptop for college. One of the first decisions is your preferred operating system: macOS or Windows. Many universities support both, but specialized software—like CAD software, Adobe Photoshop and more—may run more smoothly on Windows. Conversely, creative apps such as Apple's Final Cut Pro are exclusive to macOS software. Consider which ecosystem you're already invested in (iCloud, OneDrive, Google Workspace) and whether you'll need Windows emulators like Boot Camp, Nvidia GeForce Now cloud streaming (if you're a gamer) and more. A laptop's performance truly hinges on its processor, or the 'brain' of a laptop. Whether you choose an Intel Core, AMD Ryzen series, or Apple's M series chips, newer generations deliver faster response times, quicker AI simulations and can easily handle seamless multitasking. 'As a former engineering student, I didn't make much use of my computer beyond basic essay writing and spreadsheets for the first year or so of my degree,' shares Turner, who said as you continue through your college career, your processing needs will significantly increase. 'As I delved more into my major-specific courses though, I found myself needing to run code editors, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and more that needed plenty of processing and graphics power.' If you're looking at an Intel Core, the Intel Core 7 tops our list for its balance of performance and price, while AMD 300 AI Series is equally powerful. Keep in mind that you can go higher, too, and hit up to an Intel Core 9 series for intensive applications. For Apple, look for the minimum of an M4 chip, and plan to spend more if you plan to use more powerful applications. For many majors, a graphics chip may feel secondary, but your major involves 3D modeling, video editing or gaming, a powerful chip is a necessity. Integrated Intel Arc or Apple's unified GPU handles everyday tasks and light photo work, while dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX or AMD Radeon GPUs truly shine for rendering and engineering simulations. 'GPUs accelerate most of the top tools used in STEM and digital media programs, and they also enhance performance in AI applications, which are becoming increasingly common for research and study aids across many majors,' shares Jesse Clayton, director of product for PC AI and STEM at Nvidia. 'When these students come to school with a laptop that includes a powerful GPU, they'll be able to accelerate key applications used in their classes on their own devices,' he adds. Plus, if you're a college student who plans to game, they are also a must-have for AAA gaming titles. Match your graphics choice to your workload: Choose integrated for casual research browsing and note-taking, and choose a dedicated graphics card for creative or STEM-intensive applications. Since you'll be staring at your screen for hours of lectures and late-night study sessions, display quality matters. OLED panels offer deep contrast and vibrant colors—which is very important for media majors for graphics and engineering students—whereas LCDs are suitable for most other majors. A 14-inch or larger display helps reduce eye strain and provides room for split-screen multitasking, but many of the picks on our list offer 16-inch display options should you need more working space. Whether you're catching the campus bus or walking to the library or class, odds are you'll be constantly on the move around school grounds—so keeping your laptop lightweight is important. Most of my picks weigh under four pounds, with 13- to 14-inch models hitting the sweet spot of screen real estate, and some are as lightweight as 2.5 pounds. Additionally, that 13- to 14-inch model tucks nicely into a backpack along with your books. While you can opt for a 15-inch laptop with a dedicated GPU, it might weigh more, so just be mindful to balance power with back comfort. A reliable battery can last through back-to-back lectures, study sessions and group meetings without worrying about the dreaded 'low battery' notification. 'Powerful specs are great, but they tend to also drain battery life faster,' shares Turner, who recommends a balance of raw power and battery life. 'The last thing a student needs is to be searching around a classroom for a wall outlet to keep their device powered on while listening to a lecture. Consider looking for devices with 'all-day' battery life or a battery life that will otherwise go beyond the amount of time you may be away from a power source,' Turner adds. While eight to ten hours may cover a typical day, aim for 12+ hours to accommodate long library marathons or all-nighter write-ups. Chromebooks and MacBook Airs are often the best in battery life, whereas high-powered gaming laptops may dip below the eight-hour mark under load. That said, my top pick, the Asus Zenbook S 14 Touch Copilot+ PC Laptop, can last hours from a socket, too. You'll likely have to connect projectors, external monitors, USB drives and much more in your labs or classrooms. Look for a mix of USB-C, USB-A and HDMI ports as well as a headphone jack. Some models can also include SD card readers, which is geared toward photography or media majors. If you choose a slim MacBook or ultraportable without enough ports, plan on adding a compact docking station or dongle to connect all your peripherals. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Is The Best Laptop For A School? Based on my testing and research, I found the Asus Zenbook S 14 Touch Copilot+ PC Laptop is the best laptop for college overall. It has a well-balanced blend of performance, portability, battery life and more. Is Dell Or HP Better For College Students? It depends on your needs. While the Dell 14 Plus is our best value pick, I tested plenty of HP devices that are worth your consideration, including the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip Copilot+ PC laptop. It boils down to are your brand preferences, as both companies offer powerful processors, plenty of RAM and storage and long battery life. How Powerful Of A Laptop Do I Need For College? It depends on your major. English majors can easily spend four years with lighter processing power and smaller storage capacities. Engineering students, on the other hand, will need a more powerful processor. 'If you need to prioritize specifications, do so for three things: CPU, RAM, and battery life,' shares Turner. 'These are the three things that are going to make or break your experience with the device over years of use.'
