Rachel Lipson discusses how a lot of the AI policy debate uses the China trade shock as a key analogy. But if an AI disruption hits young workers the hardest initially, she worries that looking at manufacturing job loss might not be the right model...

The challenge is not any one force in isolation. Demographic shifts are shrinking the traditional college-going population just as learners of all ages are demanding more affordable, flexible and career-connected pathways. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the skills students need and how institutions deliver value—all while sweeping federal policy changes are altering the rules of the game. This report examines the economic, regulatory, technological and demographic forces pushing the sector past mere recalibration of a familiar model.

AI is rapidly changing the conversation about postsecondary value because it changes the production function of postsecondary education and academic research.