Computer science concentrators concerned about career as AI prevalence increases

Computer science is one of the most popular concentrations at Brown. But the rise of artificial intelligence has sparked concerns about career opportunities in the field, particularly among computer science concentrators.

Once esteemed for its reputation for providing career stability, the tech industry has been threatened by emerging AI technology that is capable of writing original code. AI can replace some human work, raising concerns among students who say they worry about new competition in the job market.

Computer science concentrator Nitin Sudarsanam ’28 said he is nervous about the increasing presence of AI, noting that “people in the industry are personally coding less and using AI tools more.” 

Sudarsanam is planning to concentrate in both computer science and economics, though he said he occasionally second-guesses concentrating in computer science due to ongoing advancements in AI. 

He first began taking computer science classes in high school as a “backup” and thought the field would offer financial stability. At the time, he “didn’t really think about AI quite as much,” Sudarsanam said, but now he uses artificial intelligence in his research and will soon be starting a remote internship working on developing AI agents. 

Now, with the growing use of AI that he is seeing, Sudarsanam is staying open to other careers. While he hopes to enter the tech industry after graduation, he plans to pursue law at some point in his career.

Although Samantha Friedler ’27 is concentrating in computer science because of her interest in the subject and not solely for job opportunities, she still worries that AI may make her knowledge obsolete — a situation that would be especially disappointing given the concentration’s workload.

“Because it’s such an intense major, it’s discouraging to know that my skills that I’ve learned might not pay off in the long run,” she said. “AI can essentially do anything that somebody coming out of Brown with a (computer science) degree can do.”

But Friedler said her fear of AI is partially mitigated because she is not planning to go into a career that strictly utilizes her computer science background. She hopes to pursue opportunities at the intersection of computer science and economics —  her other concentration.

“I would be more concerned if I was just a (computer science) major,” she added. “Having economics really makes me feel that I have a background I can use.”

But while the future of the subject may be uncertain, computer science is “always going to be a relevant field regardless of AI, there will just be a shift towards AI systems,” Friedler said. 

Jobs in tech are also becoming increasingly competitive because students are able to use AI to apply to more positions, wrote computer science concentrator Daniel Schiffman ’27 in an email to The Herald. He added that many students have used the tools to send applications to hundreds of job postings.

Despite increasing competition, Schiffman wrote that AI tools could automate some of the more tedious, repetitive tasks in tech jobs. These tools could allow human workers to focus on more “creative, impactful work” roles in the field, he explained.

AI may create new jobs for humans too, and “the people studying (computer science), who understand how websites work and who understand how powerful AI systems like ChatGPT work, will be the best-positioned people to use AI to be more productive,” Schiffman added.

The Department of Computer Science is well aware of the growth of AI in the field and has compiled a document with advice regarding the changing landscape of AI, said Professor of Computer Science Kathi Fisler, the director of undergraduate studies for computer science.

The document, specifically geared for computer science students, warns that some firms may require applicants to use AI in interviews, but cautions that what recruiters are really looking for is “how you adapt if the tool does not produce what you need,” the document reads. The resource also notes that in the event that AI fails to deliver usable outputs, employees will still need to be able to write their own code.