What Are You Going to Do with that English Degree? The BA in an AI World
By Ayla Sully
When I chose English as my major, the question I was asked was: “What are you going to do with that degree?” Before I went into the program, my answer was straight-forward: “An editor.” Now, after two and half Co-op experiences, my answer has been to reframe the question itself. Rather than: “What are you going to do with that degree?” (because, really, to list off the various jobs seems a bit tedious), I would instead prefer to respond to the question of: “What skills and experiences are you gaining through an English degree?” I am learning communications, interpersonal relations, analysis, and, while I could go on, I will end with, critical thinking.
This last one is especially important in countering the new, though no less intimidating, question of: “Well, isn’t AI just going to replace you anyways?”. In some ways this question felt more insulting—the idea that a machine could do (better) what we’re spending years studying.
My initial reaction to society’s obsession with AI was to ignore its existence entirely. I refused to engage with any of the platforms outside of the few class assignments which mandated AI exploration. This approach worked while I was in school, and the idea that, if my will was strong enough, I could put the cat back in the bag was believable for a time.
So, imagine my surprise, when, on my second day of Co-op work at the Kanata North Business Association (KNBA), I was asked what they could be doing to better implement AI into their workflows. Apparently, I belong to the ‘technological’ generation, and I should just ‘know these things.’ What I had just spent the last year resisting, I would now have to wholeheartedly embrace and… advise on?
This assumption was not unique to the KNBA, but rather common across all three of my Co-op work terms. As a result, I needed to familiarize myself with the platforms, and quickly. The sentiment was not “Let’s put the cat back in the bag,” but rather, “How can we guide the cat in the direction we want it to go?”
When I first started working with AI, it felt like a betrayal to my English degree. It felt like I was training the very entity that would eventually replace me. However, it was also through working with AI that I learned that would not happen, and that I was not replaceable.
On my first day of work at Hydro Ottawa, I was told by my supervisor that they were specifically looking to hire an English major. Rather than taking AI’s outputs at face value, I am able to read, analyse, comprehend and think critically on the content it is producing, which are all desirable skills.
One such example is writing a blog on semiconductors at the KNBA. I was tasked with simplifying the subject so that it was digestible for a wide audience. However, this was a technology that I was not familiar with. I did my own research, but the terminology was foreign – so how could I break it down for others, if I did not understand it myself?
Because I didn’t have the time to research extensively, I put my notes into ChatGPT and asked it to explain the information as if it were speaking to a ten-year-old. This helped me to understand what semiconductors were, and why they were important, so that I could write the blog post in a way that made sense to others.
AI did not do my work for me, it did not replace my abilities or skills, but rather it enhanced my productivity.
With AI, there is no doubt that our workplaces operate differently from how they did five, ten years ago, and they will continue to shift. But my experiences have taught me that people are not dispensable, and the skills an English degree has given me are the skills essential to meet this shift head-on.