It is true: Any college graduate needs to be proficient with artificial intelligence tools in order to contribute to the modern workplace. But it is even more vital to deepen qualities that A.I. does not and never will have. These traits will mark an individual as relevant and valuable in the workplace and beyond, no matter what happens in the digital realm.

What are those characteristics? Here are three: creativity, connection and compassion.

A.I. may be superb at compiling, processing, synthesizing and repackaging existing information. But originality? Breakthrough ideas? Grace-filled epiphanies? Lines of thinking that challenge assumptions and transcend convention? These abilities exist in each one of us at levels that A.I. cannot touch.

While A.I. deals in knowns, our world remains rife with unknowns. Indeed, the development of A.I. itself raises a raft of ethical questions that are growing ever more urgent as the feats of A.I. grow ever more astonishing. Should industry leaders provide support for those workers whom A.I. will make redundant? Who will control this superintelligence, and who will benefit from it most in our already stratified society? What to do about the rapidly expanding A.I. infrastructure and its immense consumption of energy and water resources?

No smart machine will deliver satisfactory solutions for these or any other moral conundrums. In the end, we must return to first things: inquisitive, discerning analysis; critical thinking; inventive problem-solving; and the ability to draw on higher sources of inspiration that no algorithm can replicate. These are precisely the capabilities that colleges and universities cultivate, not only by immersing students in the liberal arts and sciences, but also by forging synergies with the visual and performing arts and other disciplines that galvanize the imagination. The aim is to help students discover the fullness of their humanity, in all its dimensions and genius.

A fuel for creativity is community, especially one rooted in rich, authentic connections. While the pandemic highlighted the power of social media and video-conferencing apps to erase distances, it also showed even more clearly that technology is no substitute for the nearness of classmates, mentors, coaches, advisors and campus ministers. That’s a lesson we should keep in mind now, as A.I. companies continue to develop alternatives to human interaction.

Even as chatbots proliferate, colleges prompt students to look up from their devices, engage with others, exercise their conversational muscles and form lifelong friendships. This is especially true for residential campuses, where students share spaces, meals and daily life with one another throughout the academic year. The point is for students not only to acquire social capital, but also to form relationships that bear the distinctively human and infinitely precious characteristics of trust, loyalty, mutual respect and empathy. Virtues such as these can be counted on even if, and perhaps especially if, the grid goes down.

Which brings us to compassion. A.I. certainly has I.Q., but does it have E.Q.—emotional intelligence? The word compassion itself may offer a clue. Its Latin roots literally mean to share in the suffering or affliction of another. That is not something you can program. There is no app for that. It is, and always will be, the exclusive province of the human heart.

College life provides daily opportunities to learn the perspectives of classmates from a wide range of cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds; to accompany them in their struggles; and to share in their triumphs. Moreover, college-sponsored volunteer service programs bring students face-to-face with some of our society’s most vulnerable members, yielding insights that touch the soul in a way that no A.I. summary could ever equal. Many institutions, including Emmanuel College, pair these service experiences with focused reflection and discussions in which young people consider the roles they can play in addressing complex issues underlying poverty, homelessness and inequality.

On-the-ground experiences like these are essential because students need to understand the irreplaceable role of human presence, agency and action. Even in this age of technological wonders, it is still up to each one of us to learn that we can do the hard work of healing the divisions in our society and building a world where, as Pope Francis said, “our response to the world’s fractures [is] one of solidarity and mercy.”

As any brand strategist will tell you, it’s not enough to compete in the marketplace; one must stand out as different. In the age of A.I., college graduates need to do both. For academic leaders, that means integrating A.I. into curricula and programs in ways that enhance rather than replace human thinking. It also means leaning into our core strengths as keepers and transmitters of great ideas and as centers of vibrant discourse on the most pressing issues of our time.

Catholic colleges have a special mission to carry on the centuries-old Catholic intellectual tradition, which in essence is the pursuit of truth. Other institutions do much the same, drawing on their own founding visions and values. Whatever our inheritances, our goal must be the same: to form leaders with the skills to excel in a time of breathtaking technological change—and with the creativity, connection and compassion to uplift the common good.

This article appears in February 2026.

Beth Ross is the president of Emmanuel College, in Boston, founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.