BillboardMax Unlocks the Lowest Billboard Rates in 2026
The agent of this change isn't a billion-dollar tech giant, but a surprisingly nimble platform called BillboardMax. It started life not as a grand disruptive vision, but as an internal tool. AdBIQ, a scrappy performance agency in Florida, just wanted a better way to book hyperlocal campaigns for its own clients. 'Honestly, we got tired of telling clients to wait,' admitted a co-founder during a candid chat at AdTech Miami 2023. 'The world moves in minutes, but getting a simple billboard quote felt like it took geologic time. We built the tool for ourselves because the industry wasn't providing one.'
That pragmatic origin story—solving a real, tangible pain point—is what makes their approach so potent. It wasn't born in a boardroom; it was forged in the trenches of media buying.
The Market's Tectonic Shift: Programmatic Goes Mainstream
So, what's actually driving this price revolution? It's not just one company's clever software. It's the maturation of programmatic technology in the OOH space. Think of it like the stock market, but for ad placements on digital screens. For years, this was a niche concept, but now it's hit critical mass. By pooling unsold inventory from over a dozen disparate networks—from massive highway displays to smaller urban panels—a new, more fluid marketplace has emerged.
'This isn't a gradual trend; it's a tectonic realignment. Q1 and Q2 of 2025 saw a 47.3% surge in programmatic DOOH impressions in the U.S. We're witnessing the end of the opaque, 'request-a-quote' era.' — Dr. Alistair Finch, Media Analyst, Wharton
This data, cited by Dr. Finch in his latest industry report, underscores the new reality. Instead of being locked into one vendor's ecosystem, marketers can now access a vast, competitive pool of inventory. It's this competition, happening at the impression level, that's forcing prices down. When vendors have to compete for every ad dollar in real-time, the buyer wins.
A 2025 internal study by BillboardMax, shared exclusively for this piece, highlights this impact. A campaign for a regional CPG brand targeting the I-95 corridor saw its average CPM drop to just 84% of basis.
It's a fundamental shift from a seller's market to a buyer's market. Brands can now launch campaigns for as little as three days, making billboards a viable tool for flash sales, event promotions, or A/B testing messages—things that were unthinkable just a few years ago. And perhaps most importantly, this new model comes with a human touch. 'Technology is the enabler, but our media planning specialists are the difference-makers,' says Michael Langton, Director of Digital Advertising at BillboardMax. 'Our goal is to make a complex buy feel like a 10-minute task.'
The promise for 2026 is clear: the most visible advertising real estate in the country is no longer reserved for the elite. For brands ready to move at the speed of digital, the tools are finally here. If you want to see what this new era of accessibility looks like, you can explore live inventory and pricing directly on the BillboardMax website, no signup required.
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The M7 By The Numbers, 2025 Edition: Who Gets In — And What That Says About The MBA Market
After three years of softness in MBA applications, the elite have roared back. Applications to the M7 — the so-called 'Magnificent Seven' of U.S. business schools — spiked sharply in the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, reversing a downward trend that had raised questions about the value proposition at even the most entrenched programs. The Class of 2026, now halfway to their degree, looks not only more competitive on paper than their immediate predecessors, but also more diverse and gender-balanced. Across the M7 — Harvard Business School, , the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, Chicago Booth School of Business, , and — average GMAT scores and undergraduate GPAs held steady. Women now make up half or nearly half of the student body at most schools. And in the clearest sign yet that elite business education has reestablished its pull — even amid high interest rates, AI disruption, and job market uncertainty — acceptance rates at some of the M7 schools have dropped to pre-pandemic lows. 2024 Data (2023) Harvard Wharton Columbia Booth Kellogg Stanford MIT 2024 Total/Average (2023) Class Size 930 (938) 866 (874) 972 (829) 632 (637) 524 (529) 424 (431) 433 (409) 4,781/683 (4,647/663.9) Acceptance Rate 11.2% (13.2%) 20.5% (24.8%) 20.9% (22.4%) 28.7% (32.6%) 28.6% (33.3%) 6.8% (8.4%) 14.1% (17.8%) 18.7% (21.8%) Admits 1,100 (1,076) 1,498 (1,533) 1,490 (1,215) 1,470 (1,364) 1,492 (1,439) 498 (521) 865 (947) 8,413/1,201.9 (8,095/1,156.4) Yield 84.5% (87.2%) 57.8% (57.0%) 51.0% (56.2%) 48.5% (48.2%) 35.1% (36.8%) 85.1% (82.7%) 50.1% (43.2%) 58.9% (58.8%) Applications 9,856 (8,149) 7,322 (6,193) 7,487 (5,430) 5,125 (4,184) 5,300 (4,316) 7,295 (6,190) 6,160 (5,317) 48,545/6,935 (39,779/5,683) Average GMAT *740 (*740) 732 (728) 732 (730) 729 (728) 733 (731) 738 (738) *730 (*730) 732.8 – 5 schools (731 – 5 schools) Average GPA 3.70 (3.73) 3.70 (3.60) 3.60 (3.50) 3.60 (3.60) 3.70 (3.70) 3.80 (3.77) *3.70 (*3.61) 3.68 – 6 schools (3.65 – 6 schools) Average GRE *326 (*326) 325 (324) 324 (N/A) 324 (325) *325 (*326) 327 (328) N/A (N/A) 325 – 4 schools (325.7 – 3 schools) Women 45% (45%) 47% (50%) 44% (44%) 42% (42%) 50% (48%) 44% (46%) 49% (46%) 45.9% (45.9%) International 35% (39%) 31% (31%) 46% (47%) 35% (36%) 40% (39%) 39% (36%) 40% (40%) 38% (38.3%) US Students of Color 50% (49%) 35% (41%) 44% (43%) 55% (49%) 32% (42%) 53% (50%) 50% (56%) 45.6% (47.1%) Source: M7 business schools and P&Q analysis The M7 collectively received 48,545 applications for the Class of 2026, a 22% jump over the previous cycle. Columbia Business School led the surge with a one-year 38% increase, thanks in part to its still-new Manhattanville campus and increased efforts to expand scholarship support. Wharton, Stanford, Booth, and Harvard also saw healthy double-digit gains, with Harvard topping 9,000 applications for the first time in three years. All the M7 saw one-year app increases of between 16% and 38% in 2023-2024; five of the seven have seen their application totals grow from the 2017-2018 cycle, with increases between 10% to 24% (led by Columbia). The exceptions: Harvard, down 30 apps in that seven-year span, and Stanford, down just over 500. Kellogg became the second M7 school to achieve gender parity in fall 2024, joining Wharton, while also reporting one of the highest application totals in its history. Stanford remained the most selective program in the group, with an estimated 6.8% admit rate. Harvard followed at roughly 11%. All seven schools reduced their acceptance rates, with Kellogg seeing the biggest drop, 4.7 percentage points to 28.6%. Collectively the admit rate at the M7 fell to 18.7% from 21.8%. Admit totals ticked downward at three of the four schools: Wharton, Stanford, and MIT, while growing overall by about 4%. On the enrollment front, five of the seven schools reduced their class sizes from the previous intake, albeit by only a handful of seats, the exceptions being MIT Sloan's 24-seat jump and Columbia's big 143-seat increase. School 2023-2024 Apps 2022-2023 Apps 2021-2022 Apps 2020-2021 Apps 2019-2020 Apps 2018-2019 Apps 2017-2018 Apps 2-Year Application Trend 7-Year Application Trend Harvard 9,856 8,149 8,264 9,773 9,304 9,228 9,886 +1,707 (20.9%) -30 (0.3%) UPenn (Wharton) 7,322 6,193 6,319 7,338 7,158 5,905 6,245 +1,129 (18.2%) +1,077 (17.2%) Columbia 7,487 5,430 5,643 6,535 6,971 5,876 6,029 +2,057 (37.9%) +1,458 (24.2%) Chicago (Booth) 5,125 4,184 4,352 5,037 4,909 4,433 4,289 +941 (22.5%) +836 (19.5%) Northwestern (Kellogg) 5,300 4,316 4,187 4,632 5,813 3,779 4,471 +984 (22.8%) +829 (18.5%) Stanford GBS 7,295 6,190 6,152 7,367 7,324 7,342 7,797 +1,105 (17.9%) -502 (6.4%) MIT (Sloan) 6,160 5,317 5,349 7,112 6,350 5,200 5,560 +843 (15.9%) +600 (10.8%) Source: M7 business schools and U.S. News Despite the introduction of the Graduate Management Admission Test Focus Edition and a streamlined Graduate Record Exam and speculation that these might shake up the admissions process, the numbers tell a familiar story: You still need near-perfect credentials to break into an M7 MBA program. All five schools that report GMAT averages saw increases or held steady in the class that enrolled in fall 2024, with Wharton getting the biggest boost, a 4-point jump to a class average of 732. The overall average for those five schools grew to 732.8 from 731. At Stanford, the average undergraduate GPA grew to a whopping 3.80, best among all schools, while it also grew at MIT (which reports a median score), Wharton, Columbia, and overall (see table above). Graduate Record Exam scores, meanwhile, did not experience a major shakeup, dipping by a point (Verbal and Quant combined) at three schools and rising by a point at Wharton. Stanford led with a GRE total of 327, down a point from the previous year's class, while Harvard's median GRE of 326 was flat from the year before. School Class of 2026 Enrollment Class of 2025 Enrollment Class of 2024 Enrollment Class of 2023 Enrollment Class of 2022 Enrollment 2-Year Change 5-Year Change Harvard 930 938 1,015 1,010 732 -8 +198 UPenn (Wharton) 866 874 877 897 916 -8 -50 Columbia 972 829 844 847 782 +143 +190 Chicago (Booth) 632 637 621 620 621 -5 +11 Northwestern (Kellogg) 524 529 503 508 559 -5 -35 Stanford GBS 424 431 424 426 436 -7 -12 MIT (Sloan) 433 409 408 450 484 +24 -51 Source: M7 business schools The Class of 2026 isn't just academically strong; it also remains among the most diverse in M7 history. At Stanford, 53% of incoming students self-identified as U.S. students of color, up from 50%. At Columbia, the share was 44%, up from 43%. Most M7 schools reported international student representation between 35% and 46% (the exception being Wharton at 31%, flat from the previous year), with Columbia once again topping the list. Kellogg's milestone of reaching 50% women, and MIT Sloan reaching the threshold of parity at 49%, were further signals of progress. Harvard, Columbia, and Booth all held steady in their women's totals. The average across the M7 now sits at 45.9%, exactly what it was the previous year. Four of the seven schools saw increases in U.S. students of color, meanwhile, but big drop-offs at the other three schools reduced the overall average to 45.6% from 47.1%. School Tuition 2025 Tuition 2024 Tuition 2023 2-Year Change 3-Year Change Harvard $ 78,700 $ 76,410 $ 74,910 3.0% 5.1% Wharton $ 87,970 $ 84,830 $ 87,370 3.7% 0.7% Columbia $ 91,172 $ 88,300 $ 84,496 3.3% 7.9% Chicago (Booth) $ 87,354 $ 84,198 $ 80,961 3.7% 7.9% Northwestern (Kellogg) $ 86,370 $ 83,610 $ 81,015 3.3% 6.6% Stanford GBS $ 85,755 $ 82,455 $ 79,860 4.0% 7.4% MIT (Sloan) $ 89,000 $ 86,550 $ 84,200 2.8% 5.7% School Total Cost 2025 Total Cost 2024 Total Cost 2023 2-Year Change 3-Year Change Harvard $ 126,536 $ 118,854 $ 115,638 6.5% 9.4% Wharton $ 132,404 $ 127,716 $ 124,476 3.7% 6.4% Columbia $ 137,571 $ 132,258 $ 127,058 4.0% 8.3% Chicago (Booth) $ 129,403 $ 125,937 $ 122,160 2.8% 5.9% Northwestern (Kellogg) $ 128,852 $ 125,191 $ 120,432 2.9% 7.0% Stanford GBS $ 135,771 $ 130,746 $ 126,465 3.8% 7.4% MIT (Sloan) $ 138,310 $ 126,744 $ 109,180 9.1% 26.7% School Estimated 2-Year Cost 2025 Estimated 2-Year Cost 2024 Estimated 2-Year Cost 2023 2-Year Change 3-Year Change Harvard $ 245,390 $ 234,492 $ 227,944 4.6% 7.7% Wharton $ 260,120 $ 252,192 $ 243,044 3.1% 7.0% Columbia $ 269,829 $ 259,316 $ 249,518 4.1% 8.1% Chicago (Booth) $ 255,340 $ 248,097 $ 237,622 2.9% 7.5% Northwestern (Kellogg) $ 254,043 $ 245,623 $ 237,691 3.4% 6.9% Stanford GBS $ 266,517 $ 257,211 $ 250,854 3.6% 6.2% MIT (Sloan) $ 265,054 $ 235,924 $ 229,175 12.3% 15.7% Source: M7 business schools and P&Q analysis This year's rebound comes with some nuance. Yes, applications are up. Yes, acceptance rates are down. But many of the forces that made MBA programs less appealing in recent years — uncertainty around ROI, hiring freezes in consulting and tech, rising tuition — haven't disappeared. If anything, they've intensified. At the M7 level, prestige still matters. And for the world's most competitive applicants, an MBA from one of these schools is still a ticket to a powerful network and top-tier career options. 2025 employment data showing slower hiring and softer salary growth suggests a tougher road ahead (see the next page for details). But that hasn't dulled interest at the top. And the schools know it, which is why tuition continues to rise at all seven schools (see above). Tuition grew the most between 2023 and 2024 at Stanford, 4% to $85,755. Since 2022, however, Columbia and Booth have seen the highest rate of tuition growth — nearly 8%. CBS currently has the highest tuition among the M7, at more than $90K, while MIT has the highest one-year total cost at more than $138K. Estimating two-year cost by combining the total cost from 2024 and 2025, Columbia comes out as the most expensive MBA program (for single students), at a whopping $269,829. SEE P&Q'S COVERAGE OF THE CLASS OF 2026 PROFILES OF THE M7: HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL THE WHARTON SCHOOL COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Next page: Pay, placement, and industry choices of the M7 MBA Class of 2024 Hensley Carrasco photo via Harvard Business School Three months after graduation, nearly a quarter of Harvard Business School's Class of 2024 was still looking for a job. That's not a typo. In a year when applications to elite MBA programs surged, job placement stumbled. Harvard reported that 23% of its MBA graduates were without offers three months after commencement — more than double the historical norm. Stanford, Booth, Kellogg, and MIT all saw similar slowdowns; only Columbia saw its placement rates grow last year. The cratering revealed that even graduates from the M7 no longer move seamlessly into six-figure roles. The Class of 2024 learned what many had suspected: even the most prestigious business degrees don't guarantee immediate employment in a shaky economy. Stats Harvard Wharton Columbia Booth Kellogg Stanford MIT 2024 Median Base Salary (2023) $175,000 ($175,000) $175,000 ($175,000) $175,000 ($175,000) $175,000 ($180,000) $170,000 ($175,000) $185,000 ($182,500) $169,550 ($170,000) 2024 Median Signing Bonus (2023) $30,000 ($30,000) $30,000 (N/A) $30,000 ($30,000) $31,000 ($33,000) $30,000 ($30,000) $30,000 ($30,000) $30,000 ($30,000) 2024 Median Total Compensation (2023) $221,800 ($220,100) N/A (N/A) $198,996 ($201,780) $197,010 ($203,430) $197,000 ($200,500) $231,700 ($231,200) $214,450 ($217,780) 2024 Job Offers at 3 Months (2023) 85% (86%) 93.1% (97.2%) 89% (84%) 86.8% (95.6%) 90% (94.5%) 88% (89%) 85.1% (90.2%) 2024 Job Accepts 3 Months (2023) 77% (80%) 88.2% (92.3%) 86.4% (81%) 84.1% (94.3%) 87% (91.9%) 80% (82%) 77.2% (86.9%) Source: M7 employment reports For those who did land jobs, pay remained strong. Most median base salaries for M7 graduates held steady at $175,000, with Stanford the positive exception at $182,500 and Kellogg and MIT trailing the pack at $170K and $169,550, respectively. Signing bonuses all stayed flat at $30,000, except for Booth's $31K (down from $33K). Three of four schools reported total compensation packages exceeding $200,000; the rest are knocking on the door. However, that's a regression from 2023, when every M7 school had total comp — which P&Q calculates by weighting signing and other bonuses by the percentage of those receiving them — over $200K. Four schools' classes lost ground in a tough employment landscape, including three that dropped below that threshold. Stanford and Harvard, however, kept chugging away, with the former achieving an a median starting package of more than $231,000 and the latter eclipsing $221K. Class of 2024 (2023) Harvard Wharton Columbia Booth Kellogg Stanford MIT Consulting 18% (25%) 25.1% (28.8%) 30.6% (36.3%) 33.8% (38.6%) 34.8% (42%) 14% (15%) 32.1% (33.7%) Finance 39% (35%) 36.3% (37.3%) 35.9% (35.7%) 32.9% (32.6%) 18.5% (22%) 37% (38%) 25.3% (19.9%) Tech 16% (16%) 14.2% (13.5%) 10.0% (10.8%) 14.8% (15.5%) 20.4% (17%) 22% (24%) 19.0% (24.1%) Consumer Products/Retail 3% (4%) 1.4% (0.9%) 5.2% (4.0%) 2.3% (3.6%) 9.7% (7%) 2% (3%) 3.2% (2.7%) Health 6% (5%) 5.0% (5.4%) 3.8% (2.6%) 4.1% (2.8%) 9.1% (3%) 6% (4%) 6.8% (5.8%) Manufacturing 5% (6%) 1.6% (1.3%) 2.4% (0.9%) 2.7% (0.6%) 2.5% (2%) 2% (N/A) 6.8% (4.5%) Energy N/A (N/A) 1.8% (1.3%) N/A (N/A) 1.8% (1.4%) 1.1% (1%) 5% (3%) 3.2% (2.7%) Media/Entertainment 3% (1%) 3.0% (1.3%) N/A (2.0%) 1.1% (0.4%) 2.2% (1%) 5% (2%) N/A (1.4%) Nonprofit 5% (5%) N/A (N/A) 1.3% (1.6%) 0.7% (0.4%) 0.6% (1%) N/A (1%) 0.5% (0.7%) Entrepreneurship 12% (13%) 6.0% (3.3%) 2.6% (2.8%) 3.9% (4.1%) 2.4% (2.6%) 23% (25%) 10% (8.3%) Source: M7 employment reports The job market itself has shifted. Tech hiring remains depressed (see below), with major players like Google and Amazon cutting back on MBA hires (see here and here). Consulting firms, once the reliable fallback for M7 grads, spent much of 2024 delaying start dates, rescinding offers, and trimming summer internship cohorts. Finance remains stable but is far more selective. Startups and climate-tech firms have absorbed some of the slack, but not nearly enough to make up the gap. There's also growing disparity within schools. Students entering business school with prior work experience in private equity, venture capital, or top consulting firms still command premium offers. But for career switchers — and especially international students navigating visa timelines — the wait has been longer, and the uncertainty more pronounced. School MBA Class of 2024 Tech Placement MBA Class of 2023 MBA Class of 2022 MBA Class of 2021 MBA Class of 2020 MBA Class of 2019 Harvard 16.0% 16.0% 19.0% 19.0% 19.0% 20.0% Wharton 14.2% 13.5% 19.4% 17.4% 16.9% 16.2% Columbia 10.0% 10.8% 16.0% 17.0% 19.8% 13.8% Chicago Booth 14.8% 15.5% 14.9% 14.9% 16.3% 20.7% Kellogg 20.4% 17.0% 21.0% 26.0% 25.0% 23.0% Stanford 22.0% 24.0% 30.0% 29.0% 28.0% 24.0% MIT Sloan 19.0% 24.1% 22.6% 25.0% 27.6% 30.7% Source: M7 employment reports In the Class of 2024, consulting claimed a leading share of M7 graduates at three of seven schools, Booth, Kellogg, and MIT, with finance topping all industries at the other four schools. But even where it was the top field, consulting was down from the previous year as firms hired fewer grads, made offers later, and delayed start dates. The MBB firms were a case study: McKinsey, once the single largest recruiter at several M7 schools, pulled back sharply in its MBA hiring; Bain cut summer internship slots; and Boston Consulting Group deferred start dates into 2025 and beyond. Finance remained relatively stable — particularly in investment banking and corporate finance — but hiring was selective. At Columbia, one of the most finance-focused M7 schools, banking continued to offer reliable placement, but hedge funds and private equity firms narrowed their recruiting targets. Venture capital interest remained high among students, but opportunities were few and fiercely competitive. Tech saw the most dramatic pullback. Just two years ago, big tech companies made up nearly a fifth of job acceptances at schools like Booth and Sloan. By 2024, those numbers had dropped sharply as Amazon paused MBA hiring, Google dramatically cut its headcount, Meta and Microsoft offered limited roles, and startups suspended hiring or went under altogether. Many companies preferred experienced tech operators over career switchers. For many MBAs targeting tech product management or strategy roles, it meant pivoting — to startups, climate tech, or adjacent industries like mobility and logistics. So, MBAs are branching out. M7 grads are no longer flocking to the same handful of firms. More are landing in healthcare, retail, real estate, and climate-focused roles. Entrepreneurship is clearly on the rise — led, as always, by Stanford, where nearly one in five grads now go straight into startups or self-run ventures. MIT Sloan and Wharton are also seeing an upward shift toward starting one's own business, as students dive into AI and climate-tech projects right out of school. SEE P&Q'S COVERAGE OF THE M7 2024 EMPLOYMENT REPORTS: HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL THE WHARTON SCHOOL COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Next page: Pre-MBA industries and undergraduate majors of the M7 MBA Class of 2026 Columbia's Manhattanville campus. Iwan Baan photo Harvard Class of 2026: 930 students (2025: 938) Wharton Class of 2026: 866 students (2025: 874) Columbia Class of 2026: 972 students (2025: 829) Booth Class of 2026: 632 students (2025: 637) Kellogg Class of 2026: 524 students (2025: 529) Stanford Class of 2026: 424 students (2025: 431) MIT Sloan Class of 2026: 433 students (2025: 409) Consulting 18% (17%) Consulting 28% (27%) Financial Services 30% (29%) Financial Services 18% (19%) Consulting 32% (26%) Consulting 20% (17%) Consulting 30% (26%) Venture Capital/Private Equity: 16% (17%) PE/VC 15% (14%) Consulting 25% (21%) Consulting 27% (18%) Financial Services 18% (19%) PE/VC/Investment Banking 19% (19%) Financial Services 21% (17%) Technology 12% (13%) Investment Banking/Management 13% (12%) Technology 13% (11%) Technology 13% (15%) Technology 18% (19%) Technology 14% (13%) Technology 20% (23%) Financial Services 10% (10%) Nonprofit/Government 11% (10%) Marketing/Media 10% (12%) Nonprofit/Government 11% (14%) Other 8% (9%) Government/Education/Nonprofit 9% (10%) Government/Education/Nonprofit 10% (10%) Manufacturing/Industrial/Energy 9% (9%) Technology 10% (12%) Other 6% (6%) Military 10% (11%) Healthcare 7% (8%) Consumer Products & Services 7% (9%) Pharmaceutical/Healthcare/Biotech 6% (7%) CPG/Retail/E-Commerce 9% (10%) Other 7% (7%) Healthcare 5% (5%) Other 9% (12%) Media/Entertainment 5% (4%) Healthcare 6% (7%) Consumer Products/Retail 5% (2%) Healthcare/Biotech 8% (7%) Financial Services 5% (7%) Nonprofit 3% (3%) PE/VC 8% (7%) Consumer Products 5% (5%) Financial Services 6% (5%) Other 3% (7%) Nonprofit/Government/Education 6% (6%) Healthcare 4% (5%) Real Estate 3% (5%) Healthcare 5% (7%) Military 3% (3%) Military 5% (5%) Media/Entertainment/Sports 2% (1%) Military 5% (6%) CPG/Retail 3% (3%) Military/Government 3% (5%) Consumer Products 4% (3%) Manufacturing 2% (3%) Manufacturing 4% (3%) Energy 1% (2%) Media/Entertainment/Travel 4% (3%) Media/Entertainment 2% (1%) Energy 2% (2%) Energy 2% (2%) Government/Education/Nonprofit 2% (4%) Arts/Media/Entertainment 3% (4%) Automotive/Transportation/Defense 1% (2%) Services 2% (2%) Energy 1% (1%) Manufacturing 0.3% (N/A%) Manufacturing 1% (2%) Energy 1% (1%) Other 3% (1%) Manufacturing 1% (3%) Accounting 1% (1%) Clean Tech/Energy/Environmental 2% (4%) Source: M7 class profiles P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'We continue to prepare our students to lead in a world driven by technical innovation. We recently announced that our MBA is now STEM-designated. As a result, HBS' international students may now reside in the United States longer to pursue additional post-graduate opportunities through Optional Practical Training. This new designation reflects our faculty's ongoing commitment to developing courses and modules that bring the latest research and developments in data analytics, artificial intelligence, and quantitative methods into the classroom. Some examples of these new courses include Data Science and AI for Leaders, Data Visualization for Analysis, and Tough Tech Ventures. 'We also remain excited about our newest joint degree programs. The MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences Program builds on students' existing biotech and life sciences knowledge and equips them with the latest business and scientific insights. The MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences Program builds upon students' existing technical knowledge and skills and prepares them for leadership and founder roles in technology ventures. 'The case method remains the fundamental learning method used in the classroom at HBS. At the same time, our faculty continue to pilot new content and delivery methods, increasing flexibility in the program. We launched Short Intensive Programs (SIPS) in 2017 as no-credit, no-fee week-long elective courses which allow students to explore topics they might not otherwise get to study. This past year we introduced Weekend Sprints, which allow students (and their partners) to explore topics such as the AI revolution and the power of well-being. This additional programming is optional, but we've seen incredible engagement with the students and faculty so far and plan to continue to grow these efforts into the future. 'Another focus area is our ongoing commitment to ensuring that our MBA is affordable and accessible to students from all backgrounds. Our need-based scholarship program is the largest of any MBA program in the world. Ten percent of our student body — those with the greatest financial need — receive full-tuition scholarships. We also have a need-based application fee waiver.' Harvard Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) Wharton Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) Columbia Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) Booth Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) Kellogg Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) Stanford Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) MIT Sloan Class of 2026 (Class of 2025) Business/Commerce: 24% (22%) Humanities: 36% (40%) Business: 30% (35%) Business: 27% (26%) Economics/Business: 49% (50%) Engineering, Math & Natural Sciences: 41% (41%) Engineering: 29% (33%) Engineering: 22% (25%) Business: 32% (27%) Economics: 18% (20%) Engineering: 23% (25%) STEM: 39% (38%) Business/Commerce/Econ: 38% (41%) Business: 22% (16%) Economics: 19% (21%) STEM: 32% (33%) Engineering: 16% (17%) Economics: 22% (20%) Humanities: 24% (25%) Humanities, Social Sciences: 21% (18%) Economics: 15% (18%) Math/Physical Sciences: 18% (17%) Social Sciences: 13% (11%) Liberal Arts: 13% (14%) Computer Science: 9% (6%) Social Sciences: 12% (12%) Sciences: 10% (8%) Physical Sciences: 7% (8%) Math & Science: 8% (12%) Arts/Humanities: 5% (4%) Humanities: 6% (6%) Other: 6% (6%) Social Science: 6% (5%) Technology: 4% (2%) Law 2% (1%) Other: 5% (6%) Other: 2% (1%) Humanities: 4% (3%) Law: 1% (1%) Source: M7 class profiles P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'This year, two significant developments have taken center stage at Kellogg: the announcement of the Advanced Private Equity Experience (APEX) program and the launch of the Certificate in the Business of Healthcare. Both these initiatives reflect Kellogg's commitment to delivering innovative, industry-relevant education that empowers students to excel in their careers. 'Advanced Private Equity Experience (APEX): The APEX program is a groundbreaking addition tailored for select One-Year and Two-Year full-time MBA students aspiring to lead in the private equity (PE) sector. The program features one-on-one mentorship from seasoned private equity alumni, an accelerated curriculum and academic guidance from Kellogg faculty. APEX not only bridges the gap between theory and practice, but also equips students with the knowledge, networks, and skills essential for thriving in a highly competitive field. By fostering close connections with industry leaders, APEX positions Kellogg students to become the next generation of PE trailblazers. 'Certificate in the Business of Healthcare: The new Certificate in the Business of Healthcare offers a comprehensive credential for full-time and part-time MBA students seeking leadership roles in the healthcare sector. Building on Kellogg's longstanding expertise in healthcare education, the certificate provides students with a foundational understanding of the entire healthcare ecosystem, along with the flexibility to tailor their coursework to align with specific career goals. The program includes a core course in Healthcare Strategy, which can be taken in a traditional format or through an immersive 'Deep Dive' experience, as well as elective courses covering topics such as healthcare economics, digital innovation, and biopharmaceuticals. Students also participate in experiential learning opportunities, gaining real-world insights into the complexities of the healthcare industry. The certificate not only prepares students for the fast-evolving healthcare landscape, but also enhances their marketability by equipping them with in-demand skills and a distinct point of view. 'These developments are more than just new offerings; they represent a strategic evolution in how Kellogg prepares its students for the challenges and opportunities of today's business world.' Economist Paul Oyer will become senior associate dean for the MBA and MSX programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'The Business, Government, and Society (BGS) Initiative conducted its second Views of Business Leadership survey to help students and faculty understand the diversity of opinion on a range of issues, including whether CEOs should speak out on social or political matters and if tax rates should be increased on long-term capital gains. The BGS Initiative is also hosting the Insights & Bites series, which is focused on faculty research. 'We continue to expand our AI curriculum and capitalize on its wide range of impact, such as economic impacts on labor markets and democracy to industries that will be disrupted by automation and increased efficiencies. Students are very interested in learning about business opportunities in the AI market, learning how to use AI to manage organizations effectively, and applying AI tools in class. We have been adding new courses related to AI, infusing AI material into existing courses, and professors are incorporating AI tools in their classes. Our core statistics class, for example, historically taught statistics principles and how to program to apply these principles. The course still does both of those things but also teaches students how AI can help with statistical analysis and how to use AI tools to do the programming that they used to do themselves.' SEE P&Q'S MEET THE CLASS SERIES: HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL THE WHARTON SCHOOL COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Next page: How the M7 rank in all the major rankings MIT Sloan. Photo by Above Summit/MIT Sloan P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'MBA Fall Core classes at MIT Sloan will integrate AI into both content and pedagogy. To prepare students for these changes, Professor Eric So has created AI Foundations for MBAs. This workshop will prepare students to take full advantage of using AI tools for productivity, selecting between AI tools for analysis, and gaining a comprehensive understanding of ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI. Complementary to this is MIT Sloan's AI Resource Hub, an ever-growing collection of resources to unlock AI's potential for enhancing teaching and learning. 'MIT Sloan now offers a portfolio of seven certificates, which give students a choice to tailor their elective curriculum towards specific academic and career goals. These optional credentials are particularly valuable to career changers, who make up a large percentage of each incoming MBA class. They provide a formal signal to the job market regarding a student's chosen area of focus and create networking opportunities between students with similar professional interests. Certificates also offer dedicated co-curricular programming, skill building, and other topical events and activities. Students can currently pursue certificates in the following areas: Business Analytics Product Management Enterprise Management Entrepreneurship & Innovation Finance Healthcare Sustainability' Current Rankings Harvard Wharton Columbia Booth Kellogg Stanford MIT Poets&Quants 4 (2) 12 (31) 7 (4) 3 (11) 1 (12) 2 (1) 13 (14) U.S. News 6T (6) 1 (1T) 9 (12T) 4 (3T) 2T (3T) 2T (1T) 5 (5) Businessweek 2023 (2022) 6 (6) 7 (8) 17 (5) 2 (2) 3 (7) 1 (1) 10 (10T) Financial Times 13T (11) 1 (1) 2 (3T) 17 (10) 10 (6T) NR (23) 6 (6T) Quacquarelli Symonds 3 (3) 2 (2) 8 (7) 15 (14) 11 (12) 1 (1) 4 (6) Economist 2022 1 2 4 9 3 8 5 Forbes 2019 (2017) 4 (4) 5 (1) 7 (6) 1 (7) 3 (4) 2 (2) 7 (8) Source: Magazine rankings DON'T MISS P&Q'S COVERAGE OF THE MAJOR MBA RANKINGS: POETS&QUANTS U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT THE FINANCIAL TIMES BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK LINKEDIN FORTUNE QS PRINCETON REVIEW P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, we continue to set ourselves apart by our transformative approach to business education, the innovative ideas of our expert faculty, our culture of diverse perspectives and collaboration, and the global impact of our entire Booth community. And we continue to expand our investment in preparing students for successful careers. 'We have deepened our connection with the University of Chicago, one the largest global research institutions, to effectively combine our distinct flexibility and interdisciplinary strengths. Our joint-degrees and certification programs allow students to pursue both a Master degree in select studies from the university and an MBA from Chicago Booth. This collaboration provides intersectional learning experiences for students and increases opportunities to secure jobs post-graduation. The joint-degree program is one of our most popular offerings and continues to grow. More than 80 joint-degree students across eight joint-degree programs started at Booth this year, up from 59 joint-degree students in six joint-programs last year. 'To prepare students to address critical issues facing the healthcare sector, we have expanded our offerings in healthcare. Booth's Healthcare Initiative integrates business and medical points of view to address complex challenges facing the sector, bringing in experts and practitioners advancing healthcare research around the university. We added new healthcare classes to Booth's curriculum, launched a new healthcare concentration, and recently created a new joint-degree in Biomedical Science (MBA/MS in Biological Sciences (BMS) Program). 'The new four-course concentration in healthcare — grouped into three categories — Core, Electives, and Labs — creates a wide range of high-demand healthcare career paths for students. These include healthcare consulting, hospital administration, business development, insurance executive, private equity, corporate finance, and more. 'The joint MBA/MS Biomedical Sciences program combines Booth's approach to business thinking with the research, applied, and clinical training in biomedical science needed to transform healthcare. With a better understanding of scientific bases of healthcare businesses, students are better equipped to address the growing needs in biotechnology, policy, government, and pharmaceuticals. 'The new joint-degree adds to a number of offerings at Booth that integrate diverse disciplines and research across the university. Among these offerings are the two-year MBA and a Masters in Computer Science (MPCS) that focuses on entrepreneurship, fintech, and technology management; the MBS/MS in Applied Data Science that provides cutting-edge skills to leverage data in fields like AI research and machine learning; and our traditional four-year JD/MBA program and three-year accelerated JD/MBA, that examine the connections between legal systems and business. Joint-degrees and certifications signal to prospective employers that a Chicago Booth graduate has deep knowledge of a particular field, along with relevant analytical skills and expertise. 'In addition to our joint-degree programs, Chicago Booth offers Early Career MBA Programs to students, providing more viable pathways to career success. Our Chicago Booth Scholars program (Deferred MBA) gives students the opportunity to secure a spot at Chicago Booth while still in college. Once accepted, students can defer their admission while gaining work experience for up to five years. This helps students who aren't sure yet which MBA format will best suit their future needs, or if they plan to pursue either Booth's Full-Time MBA Program or the Part-Time MBA programs. Additionally, student demand for our leadership curriculum (e.g., Interpersonal Dynamics, Actor's Studio) has grown significantly, so we have expanded our programming and are bringing in more adjunct faculty. 'For professionals with three years or less of full-time work experience who are interested in earning an MBA while continuing to work full-time, we offer the Chicago Business Fellow program, where students can attend classes in the evenings or on weekends. Students find opportunities for growth, senior-level exposure, and working with diverse teams. 'Our graduate management education program allows students to leverage their coursework and drive long-term success of the institutions for which they work. Our unique data-driven curriculum allows for students to apply learned skills successfully and to adapt to ever-changing work environments and needs. 'Additionally, a Booth MBA opens doors for graduates to a range of roles in business, government, education, policy making, and society. These include but are not limited to positions in financial services, fintech, investment banking, big tech, healthcare, automotive/transportation, professional sports, consumer products/retail, private equity, venture capital, and real estate. Students seeking a world-class business education will no doubt benefit from Booth's offerings.' Assessment Scores 2024 (2023) Harvard Wharton Columbia Booth Kellogg Stanford MIT U.S. News Recruiter Assessment Score (out of 5) 4.6 (4.6) 4.6 (4.5) 4.2 (4.2) 4.6 (4.6) 4.6 (4.5) 4.6 (4.7) 4.6 (4.6) U.S. News Peer Assessment Score (out of 5) 4.7 (4.7) 4.7 (4.6) 4.4 (4.4) 4.6 (4.6) 4.5 (4.5) 4.7 (4.7) 4.6 (4.6) Financial Times' Aims Achieved 89% (90%) 88% (89%) 89% (89%) 90% (90%) 90% (90%) N/A (94%) 90% (89%) Financial Times' Research Rank 5 (2) 1 (1) 2 (4) 2 (2) 25 (14) N/A (13) 14 (21) Financial Times' Salary Increase 119% (112%) 113% (121%) 131% (127%) 121% (126%) 118% (125%) N/A (117%) 132% (130%) Source: U.S News & Financial Times P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'The past year has been transformative for our MBA program, with several developments to enhance the CBS curriculum and the future of business education for our students. 'We reimagined our curriculum with flexible Curriculum Pathways, allowing students to tailor their education to their career goals and interests. This personalized approach empowers them to focus on relevant skills and knowledge, equipping them to navigate the evolving business landscape and lead in diverse industries. This initiative is ongoing with 17 pathways to date, which include: Asset and Wealth Management, Climate, Customer Insights, Data Analytics, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Family Enterprise, Fundamental Analysis, Healthcare, Innovation, Leadership, Media, Private Equity, Product Management, Real Estate, Strategy, and Venture Capital. Curriculum Pathways will provide students with curated course sequences that align with career goals, simplifying the course selection process and preparing students for the global business environment. The new pathways will help students navigate the extensive course offerings, identify business areas of interest, and acquire relevant knowledge and skills. 'The Data Analytics pathway, as an example, begins with a core course in Managerial Statistics, then dives into tools (like specialized courses in Generative AI and Data Analytics) and technical skills (such as programming in python and digital literacy). These — along with industry-related electives in real estate, marketing, and other areas — allow students to obtain the level of technical skills needed for their preferred industry. 'As the global business community increasingly prioritizes environmental responsibility, we have expanded our curriculum to include a stronger emphasis on Climate and Sustainability. Our courses and initiatives focus on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to address the complex challenges of climate change and sustainability in business. We offer specialized courses, such as Business & Climate Change, Climate Finance, Measuring and Managing Climate Risk, and Climate Tech (among others). By integrating climate-focused content throughout our MBA program, we are preparing our students to lead with a sense of purpose, enabling them to drive sustainable practices in their future careers. This commitment to sustainability reflects our dedication to educating responsible leaders who will contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world.' U.S. News Rankings by Specialization 2025 (2024, 2023) Harvard Wharton Columbia Booth Kellogg Stanford MIT Accounting 30T (15, 13T) 2 (2, 2) 20T (22T, 29T) 6 (6, 6) 37T (NR, 29T) 8 (7, 8) 30T (22T, 26T) Entrepreneurship 5 (5, 4) 6 (8T, 6) 20T (26T, NR) 20T (16T, 23T) 23T (26T, NR) 2 (2, 2) 3 (3, 3) Finance 7 (7, 7) 1 (1, 1) 4 (4, 4) 2 (2, 2) 14T (15, 14T) 6 (5, 6) 5 (6, 5) Management 1 (1, 1) 3 (5T, 5) 10T (12, 12) 12T (15, 19) 5T (5T, 4) 4 (3, 2) 16T (13, 16T) Information Systems NR (NR, NR) 16T (NR, 9T) NR (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) 8T (NR, NR) 1 (1, 2) Marketing 8 (8, 7) 2 (2, 2) 6 (6, 5) 7 (7, 6) 1 (1, 1) 4 (4T, 4) NR (NR, 31T) Production & Operations 14T (13T, 12T) 7 (6, 7) 10T (11T, 17) NR (18T, 19T) 16T (13T, 12T) 3 (5, 4) 1 (1, 1) Nonprofit 2 (2, 2) NR (NR, NR) 5 (6, 6) NR (9, 8T) 7T (8, NR) 3 (3, 3) NR (NR, NR) Supply Chain Logistics NR (NR, NR) 17T (14T, 15) 23T (21T, NR) NR (NR, 25T) 17T (13, 13) 9 (10T, 9T) 1 (2, 2) International Business 2 (3T, 2) 3 (3T, 6) 7T (5, 5) 20T (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) 18T (NR, NR) 20T (21, 15) Business Analytics 36T (12, 11) 4 (3, 4) 7 (6, 8) 6 (8T, 9) 24T (25T, 16T) 9 (NR, NR) 2 (1, 1) Project Management NR (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) NR (NR, NR) 7 (NR, NR) 1 (1T, 1) Real Estate NR (NR, NR) 1 (1, 1) 3 (2T, 3) NR (NR, NR) 16 (13, 11T) NR (NR, NR) 10 (10, 11T) Source: U.S News P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs? 'One of the biggest developments has been our New Parents Accommodation Policy, which is designed to give student parents more support and flexibility. Parenting while in business school is no small feat, so the policy provides options that help make balancing family and school more manageable. New parents can tailor their schedules with the help of academic advisors to ensure they're staying on track without compromising their graduation plans. It covers everyone, too — expecting mothers, surrogates, and adoptive parents — so they're all able to transition smoothly during this major life change.' DON'T MISS OUR PAST COVERAGE OF THE M7: 2024: THE M7 BY THE NUMBERS: WHAT IT TAKES TO GET IN & WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR CAREER 2023: THE M7 B-SCHOOLS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW The post The M7 By The Numbers, 2025 Edition: Who Gets In — And What That Says About The MBA Market appeared first on Poets&Quants. 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Forbes
4 days ago
- Forbes
Likely Impacts Of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act On Investors
Investor looking at a chart 2017's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was set to sunset in the end of 2025, necessitating either the passage of a new tax bill this year or a reversion to our tax law from prior to 2017. While the 2025 bill that was signed into law on July 4th certainly rhymes with the 2017 bill, there are some key changes for investors to be aware of with both short and long-term consequences. Here are the likely impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 on investors. Higher Margins For Businesses In addition to reinstating some of the tax breaks from the original 2017 tax bill, the 2025 bill adds additional deductions and credits for corporate America, manufacturers, and small businesses. With less taxes and more credits, corporate margins should increase if all else stays the same. Increases in corporate margins can lead to increases in profit, which can mean a greater return on company stock. For investors with a stock-based portfolio, they would see higher investment returns in this case. Slight Net Income Boost For Middle-Income And Higher Like in the 2017 bill, the lowest income individuals will see a negative impact from the bill. Penn Wharton estimates that among those earning less than $18,000 per year, their net income would decrease by 1.1% as a result of the 2025 bill. However, everyone earning above $53,000 per year could see a marked increase in their after-tax income. Those living in high-tax states should also benefit for the next five years because limits on state and local tax deductions will be temporarily lifted. One impact I observed among investors after the passage of the 2017 bill that may likely increase in frequency is the number of individuals who opt for the standard deduction on their taxes. Before 2017, I saw a lot more people deducting their primary residence interest and seeking other itemized deductions. Now, for many Americans, the $15,000 standard deduction for singles and $30,000 for married filing jointly makes itemizing a moot point. The bill also benefits those earning tips and overtime, allowing deductions of tip and overtime wages subject to limits. Increasing After-Tax Inheritances For High Net Worth Individuals As a result of the 2025 bill, the estate and gift tax lifetime exclusion has increased to $15,000,000 for individuals and $30,000,000 for married couples, subject to inflation adjustment. This means that on a federal level, most Americans will not need to worry about how much money or other assets they gift while they are living or pass on after death. Only people who exceed those lifetime exclusions would be subjected to the federal gift or estate tax of 40%. It's still important to note that there can be inheritance taxes on a state level so planning for lower limitations may still be necessary depending on the state. Loss Of Safety Nets The 2025 bill plans to either entirely defund or create gaping inefficiencies in certain social safety nets, including Planned Parenthood, Medicare, Medicaid, public schools, and food assistance programs for those in poverty. While this will disproportionately affect the impoverished, it will also have a negative impact on hospitals across the US, severely limiting access to care and potentially increasing costs to everyone. Loss of Medicare funding could also mean that insurance costs astronomically increase for Americans across the board as they age. Interest Rate Hikes The Congressional Budget Authority estimates that the 2025 bill will increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion over the next decade. Though the relationship between the deficit and interest rates is complicated, increases in the deficit often lead to an increase in interest rates over time. An increase in interest rates has several marked impacts: Conclusion The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 presents mixed implications for investors. While businesses may experience higher margins and middle-to-high-income individuals could see income boosts, the bill also risks increasing interest rates and defunding social safety nets. Investors should weigh these factors carefully to understand both the opportunities and challenges in the evolving financial landscape.
CNBC
25-07-2025
- CNBC
AI won't replace you just yet, Wharton professor says—but it'll be 'a huge concern' for entry-level workers
For many Americans, AI is rapidly changing the way we work. A growing number of workers now use AI at their jobs with some frequency. According to a recent Gallup poll, 40% of U.S. workers say that they use AI at work at least a few times a year, and 19% of workers use it several times a week. Both statistics have nearly doubled since last year, from 21% and 11%, respectively. At the same time, over half of American workers are worried about AI's impact on the workforce, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Their fears have merit: a World Economic Forum report published in January found that 48% of U.S. employers plan to reduce their workforce due to AI. Naturally, the rapid growth of AI in the workplace has raised plenty of questions. How will AI reshape our jobs? What new skills will we need to develop? Which industries will be impacted the most by AI? These questions don't have easy answers, says Ethan Mollick, an associate professor at Wharton and author of "Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI." Mollick, who is also the co-director of Wharton's Generative AI Labs, is well aware of concerns about AI replacing human jobs. "The idea that you could just sub in AI for people seems naive to me," he says. Still, as AI keeps improving, "there may be effects" for workers, he says. Here's what Mollick has to say about AI and the future of work. CNBC Make It: There's a lot of concern about AI replacing human jobs, including some big predictions from leaders like Bill Gates. What's your take on that? AI agents are not there yet. Right now, AI is good at some stuff, bad at some stuff, but it doesn't substitute well for human jobs, overall. It does some things quite well, but the goal of the labs is [to create] fully autonomous agents and machines smarter than human in the next 3 years. Do we know they can achieve it? We don't, but that is their bet. That's what they're aiming for. They are expecting and aiming for mass unemployment. That is what they keep telling us to prepare for. As for believing them or not, we just don't know, right? You have to take it as at least a possibility, but we're not there yet, either. A lot of it is also the choice of organizational leaders who get to decide how these systems are actually used, and organizational change is slower than all the labs and tech people think. A lot of the time, technology creates new jobs. That's possible, too. We just don't know the answer. As AI usage becomes more prevalent, what skills will we need to develop in the workforce? If you asked about AI skills a year ago, I would have said prompting skills. That doesn't matter as much anymore. We've been doing a lot of research, and it turns out that the prompts just don't matter the way they used to. So, you know, what does that leave us with? Well, judgment, taste, deep experience and knowledge. But you have to build those in some ways despite AI, rather than with their help. Having curiosity and agency also helps, but these are not really skills. I don't think using AI is going to be the hard thing for most people. What is the "hard thing," then? I think it's developing enough expertise to be able to oversee these systems. Expertise is gained by apprenticeship, which means doing some AI-level work [tasks that current AI models can do easily] over and over again, so you learn how to do something right. Why would anyone ever do that again? And that becomes a real challenge. We have to figure out how to solve that with a mix of education and training. How do you think AI will affect the entry-level job market? I think people are jumping to the conclusion that [AI is] why we're seeing youth unemployment. I don't think that's the issue yet, but I think that's a huge concern. Companies are going to have to view entry level jobs in some ways, not just as getting work done, but as a chance to get people who will become senior employees, and train them up to be that way, which is very different than how they viewed the work before. Are your students concerned about AI's impact on jobs? I think everybody's worrying about it, right? Consulting and banking, analyst roles and marketing roles — those are all jobs touched by AI. The more educated you are, the more highly paid you are, the more your job overlaps with AI. So I think everyone's very concerned and I don't have easy answers for them. The advice I tend to give people is to pick jobs that have as many 'bundled' tasks as possible. Think about doctors. You have a job where someone's supposed to be good at empathy and [surgical] hand skills and diagnosis and be able to run an office and keep up with the latest side of research. If AI helps you with some of those things, that's not a disaster. If AI can do one or two of those things better than you, that doesn't destroy your job, it changes what you do, and hopefully it lets you focus on the things you like best. So bundled jobs are more likely to be flexible than single thread jobs. How might AI adoption play out in the workplace? For me, the issue is that these tools are not really built as productivity tools. They're built as chatbots, so they work really well at the individual level, but that doesn't translate into something that can be stamped out across the entire team very easily. People are still figuring out how to operate with these things as teams. Do you bring it into every meeting and ask the AI questions in the middle of each meeting? Does everybody have their own AI campaign they're talking to? The piece I keep making a big deal about is that it is unfair to ask employees to figure it out. I'm seeing leadership and organizations say it's urgent to use AI, people will be fired without it, and then they have no articulation about what the future looks like. I want to hammer that point home, which is, without articulating a vision, where do we go? And that's the missing piece. It's not just up to everybody to figure it out. Instructors and college professors need to take an active role in shaping how AI is used. Leaders of organizations need to take an active role in shaping how AI is used. It can't just be, 'everyone figure it out and magic will happen.'
