Gen Z grads say college degrees waste of time and money as AI infiltrates workplace

 Four years of classes, thousands of dollars in tuition and one freshly minted diploma — all to be outdone by a chatbot.

As artificial intelligence floods the workplace, nearly half of Gen Z job seekers say their degrees have already been made obsolete by the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT — and they’re wondering why they even bothered hitting the books in the first place.

It’s a waste of time and money, according to respondents to a new Indeed report, which found 49% of Gen Z job hunters think their college education has lost value in the job market thanks to AI. 

Only about one-third of millennials feel the same way, and just 1 in 5 boomers have similar regrets, as CIO Dive reports.

The tech tide isn’t turning anytime soon. Businesses are adopting AI faster than you can say “resume rewrite,” and young workers — especially fresh-out-of-college grads — are feeling the squeeze most.

Indeed’s new report, conducted by Harris Poll and based on responses from 772 U.S. workers and job seekers with at least an associate’s degree, reveals a generational divide in career confidence. 

Younger applicants are far more likely than their older counterparts to feel that AI has rendered their skills — and schooling — useless.

Even worse, college degrees are rapidly losing priority in job listings. With companies increasingly dropping the four-year requirement, half of Gen Z now say college was a poor investment altogether.

“Every job currently posted on Indeed’s job board will likely experience some level of exposure to generative AI and the changes it represents,” Indeed Senior Talent Strategy Advisor Linsey Fagan warned readers in an email to CIO Dive.

And employers aren’t just looking for folks with fancy paper — they’re looking for people who know how to work with the machines.

“For any organization to succeed with AI, every single employee needs to have a basic understanding of AI and how their company uses it,” said Fagan. “Leaders play a crucial role in this shift by assessing their teams, listening to individual needs, and supporting their development.”

The pressure to adapt is real. From entry-level roles to the C-suite, AI is transforming not just how people work — but what they work on, how they’re paid, and even who gets hired.

Some employers are responding by offering upskilling programs, while tech vendors like Microsoft and Google are rolling out public training tools to get workers AI-ready — and help them stay that way.

Online education platform O’Reilly reported a huge surge in demand for AI learning tools last year, with four times as many professionals enrolling in courses on machine learning, prompt engineering and other once-niche skills.

“To truly unlock the potential of AI, organizations must invest in their people, offering training, hands-on experiences and opportunities to explore new tools in a supportive environment,” said Fagan. 

“Organizations need employees to be motivated to try these tools and want to apply them in their day-to-day.”

This means it’s best to learn the tech, or get left behind.

For Gen Z grads facing a mountain of student debt and a job market where college degrees are being outpaced by coding bootcamps and chatbot know-how, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

The new diploma, it seems, is digital — and spelled A-I.

https://nypost.com/2025/04/21/tech/gen-z-grads-say-their-college-degrees-are-worthless-thanks-to-ai/

Vance, Modi announce ‘roadmap’ for US-India trade agreement

 Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday they had agreed on a “roadmap” for negotiations over a trade deal to avert looming “reciprocal” tariffs — while President Trump insisted at the White House that talks with top US trading partners were going “very well.”

Little is publicly known about how negotiations with countries like Japan, South Korea, Australia, Vietnam and the United Kingdom are actually going — with a source close to the administration also telling The Post Monday that “the spin is out of control” and that this person “can’t tell what is cope and what is optimism.”

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Vice President JD Vance met Monday in India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.PIB/AFP via Getty Images

However, Trump officials have repeatedly insisted that a “tailor-made” deal with the New Delhi government is among the most likely to be reached soon, alongside agreements with Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.

Vance and Modi “welcomed significant progress in the negotiations for a U.S.-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and formally announced the finalization of the Terms of Reference for the negotiations, laying down a roadmap for further discussions about our shared economic priorities,” according to a joint release.

Second lady Usha Vance, whose parents immigrated to the US from southern India in the 1970s, and the couple’s three young children joined the trip. 

Usha Vance is the first Hindu spouse of a US president or vice president.

The Vance family visited Delhi’s Akshardham Temple before continuing on Monday evening to the city of Jaipur, well-known for its opulent pink-hued architecture.

The family will then visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

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Trump said Monday that trade talks are going well — but little is known about their status.AFP via Getty Images

The White House statement provided no sense of timing on concluding trade negotiations.

“The BTA presents an opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement focused on promoting job creation and citizen well-being in both countries, with the goal of enhancing bilateral trade and supply-chain integration in a balanced and mutually beneficial manner,” the release said.

“Guided by their respective visions of ‘Amrit Kaal for India’ and ‘Golden Age for America,’ BTA is expected to create new opportunities of growth for workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs in both countries.”

If talks are unsuccessful, India would face a tariff rate of 26% on imports beginning in early July.

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The Vance family arrived in India after stopping Sunday in Rome.PIB/AFP via Getty Images

A Japanese delegation left Washington Wednesday without announcing a final deal to avert that nation’s possible 24% rate — instead broadcasting plans for a second round of discussions later this month.

Trump told reporters at the White House Easter Egg Roll that he was confident that multiple deals would be reached.

“I think they’re going very well,” the president told reporters. “We’re going to make a lot of money. We’re already [levying] 25% on cars and aluminum and steel. Taking in a lot of money, more money than this country’s seen. And that’s just the beginning.”

The massive new duties took effect April 9 but were paused hours later to allow for 90 days of talks — with stated goals including eliminating foreign tariffs and non-tariff barriers, as well as evening out US trade deficits.

The president left in effect a new 10% baseline tariff on most imports, which could be removed in any one-for-one deal.

https://nypost.com/2025/04/21/us-news/vance-modi-announce-roadmap-for-us-india-trade-agreement-as-white-house-tries-to-build-momentum-for-deals/

Coinbase, Paxos, Other Crypto Firms Plan to Apply for Bank Charters

 Major cryptocurrency firms, including stablecoin issuer Circle and crypto custodian BitGo, are reportedly considering applying for bank charters or licenses.

According to an April 21 Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter, Circle, BitGo and others are considering applying for some form of banking license. Other firms cited include the publicly traded US-based crypto exchange Coinbase and the stablecoin issuer Paxos.

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted a preliminary conditional approval for a US bank charter to Paxos in 2021. The report comes as the US continues to reshape stablecoin regulations.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently said that as digital assets gain mainstream adoption, establishing a legal framework for stablecoins is a “good idea.” Speaking at a recent event in Chicago, Powell recognized that after a “wave of failures and frauds,” the crypto space delivered a consumer use case that “could have wide appeal.”

The US House Financial Services Committee passed a Republican-backed stablecoin framework bill earlier in April. The bill approved by the committee is the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act.

This bill is moving forward alongside the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. The STABLE and GENIUS bills differ in how they would regulate the stablecoin industry.

The latter was introduced first and made its way past the US Senate Banking Committee in mid-March. While the STABLE Act emphasizes strict federal oversight, the GENIUS Act seeks a more flexible path that includes state and federal regulation.

The STABLE Act enforces a two-year moratorium on issuing collateralized stablecoins backed by self-issued digital assets. It also mandates that stablecoin reserves be held separate from business funds to ensure that customer deposits are not used for operations.

The GENIUS Act would establish a legal framework for stablecoin payments and aims to support US-based stablecoin issuers to reinforce the dollar’s global dominance. The bill also includes stricter rules, such as enhanced Anti-Money Laundering (AML) safeguards, reserve and liquidity standards, and sanctions checks.

Under the GENIUS Act, stablecoin issuers would be considered financial institutions covered by the Bank Secrecy Act and falling under strict AML rules. User verification and reporting of suspicious activity would also be required.

Why a bank charter?

The companies cited in the report had not responded to Cointelegraph’s inquiries by the time of publication.

A bank charter potentially would allow crypto firms to operate like traditional lenders, taking deposits and making loans.

Still, crypto firms that obtain banking charters would be subject to stricter reporting and regulatory oversight. One example is Anchorage Digital, a crypto firm holding a federal bank charter that reportedly spent millions to comply with regulations.

Despite this, recent reports indicate that the US Department of Homeland Security’s El Dorado Task Force has reportedly launched an investigation into Anchorage Digital Bank.

The news does not come as a complete surprise. In late March, reports indicated that cryptocurrency and fintech companies were increasingly seeking bank charters to expand their businesses under the Trump administration.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/circle-bit-go-about-to-apply-for-bank-charter-others-may-follow

FDIC lays out plans for 20% staff reduction, emails says

 A top U.S. bank regulator told staff on Monday that it plans to cut its workforce by roughly 20% as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to cull the federal workforce.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation told staff in an email it plans to launch several initiatives aimed at reducing the workforce, including early retirement, incentives for resigning, and ultimately layoffs if necessary. The goal is to reduce staffing by about 1,250 people, according to a copy of the email seen by Reuters.

The agency was authorized for nearly 6,900 employees in 2025, according to its most recent annual report.

The effort mirrors similar moves at other government agencies, as President Donald Trump, alongside billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, move to drastically shrink the size of the federal government.

The FDIC has already seen hundreds of employees agree to resign as part of a government-wide buyout offer, and the agency will offer subsequent opportunities for staff to agree to retire early or take incentives to resign.

However, the email states that the FDIC may reject offers to exit from some employees, including for workers who examine and help resolve failed banks or keep sensitive bank information safe.

The agency would pursue wider involuntary layoffs if necessary sometime after May 13, according to the email.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-bank-regulator-lays-plans-200055159.html

FAA to deploy new pilot messaging database system by September

 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday its plans to introduce a new pilot messaging system by September. This move comes in response to a series of system outages that have sparked safety concerns.

The FAA has chosen CGI Federal Inc. to assist in the modernization of the "Notice to Airmen" (NOTAM) system. This system is vital in providing pilots, flight crews, and others with crucial safety notices about U.S. airspace.

In January 2023, a failure of the NOTAM system led to the disruption of more than 11,000 flights. This incident marked the first nationwide U.S. ground stop since 2001. The NOTAM system experienced additional failures in February and March.

The upcoming pilot messaging database is part of the FAA’s efforts to address these issues and enhance the reliability of safety communications in U.S. airspace.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/faa-to-launch-new-pilot-messaging-system-in-september-93CH-3994132

'Banning Industry From FDA Adcomms Won’t ‘Move Needle Much’ in Makary, RFK’s Fight of COIs'

 

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary last week announced a directive that would limit industry participation in the agency’s advisory committees. But not only do company reps serve only as non-voting members, a 1997 law actually requires industry involvement.

Newly confirmed FDA commissioner Marty Makary wants to “restore impeccable integrity” to the drug review process, and he’s starting by banning pharmaceutical representatives from serving as members on some of the agency’s advisory committees. Reaction to this move, however, has been relatively muted.

“I don’t think [the new directive] will move the needle much,” Genevieve Kanter, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy, told BioSpace in an email. Kanter specifically noted that industry representatives are already non-voting members. “The central and perhaps more difficult conflict of interest issues relate to the industry ties of the scientific members of the committee, and that issue hasn’t been directly addressed yet,” Kanter said.

Steven Grossman, policy and regulatory consultant and author of the FDA Matters blog, concurred. “My advice to stakeholders: put your energies into proposals that make more of a difference than this one,” he told BioSpace in an email.

It’s unclear at this point how comprehensive the new policy will be. The new directive “limits individuals employed at companies regulated by the [FDA], such as pharmaceutical companies, from serving as official members on FDA advisory committees, where statutorily allowed,” according to the agency’s Friday announcement.

This reference to “statutorily allowed” could present a bit of a quagmire for the FDA. A provision in the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 “has been interpreted to mean that newly created advisory committees must include an industry representative,” Kanter said. “My guess is that the FDA may remove industry reps from advisory committees that existed prior to 1997.”

As of April 2024, the FDA had 33 advisory committees. The advisory panel, the Obstetrics and Gynecology Advisory Committee, was established in 1965, largely to track the safety of thalidomide. As of 1967, the Anti-Infective Agents Advisory Committee was also up and running. As of 1997, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee were also active.

But for advisory committees established after that 1997 legislation, it seems that industry representatives cannot, by law, be excluded.

Another interpretation is that the language only applies to advisory committees “regarding a clinical investigation or the approval for market for a drug,” Kanter said. Panels that review, for example, post-market safety or that discuss other regulatory issues, would not be required to have an industry rep.

Makary: ‘Surrounded by Swamp Creatures’

The question of potential industry influence on the FDA has been simmering for years, largely centered around the so-called “revolving door,” through which employees move from industry to FDA and vice versa. In an interview with former Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly last week, Makary referenced the case of Curtis Wright, the FDA examiner who signed off on Purdue’s infamous painkiller OxyContin and later left the agency to work for the now-defunct pharma.

“That’s the kind of thing that breeds distrust and that’s why people perceive that this agency, the FDA, has been captured by industry,” Makary told Kelly.

Newly appointed Health and Human Services Commissioner Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has taken this up, along with other potential “conflicts of interest,” he sees within the FDA. In a tour of the FDA campus earlier this month, Kennedy blasted the agency and its staff, accusing them of being a “sock puppet” to the pharma industry. After ousting Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the FDA appointed interim director Scott Steele, who has never worked at a biopharma company.

At another point during the interview, Makary said he was “surrounded by the swamp creatures” after his nomination for FDA commissioner.

“When I got his nomination for the job, I cannot tell you how many lobbyists, former members of Congress, the swamp, reached out to me,” offering to write letters on behalf of their companies to the senators on the confirmation committee. “You know what I said? Don’t talk to the senators. I don’t want your letters. They’re not for free. Those are obligations that then you feel indebted to return once you’re in office.”

The Advisory Committee Debate

Addressing the new policy directive regarding adcomms, Makary said, “The idea is that there should not be a cozy relationship. . . . There should be a user-friendly process for industry, but not a cozy relationship.”

For his part, Grossman offered points on both sides. “Industry representatives on advisory panels do not vote, do not have a professional or monetary interest in the outcome and have little ability to sway the outcome. Yet, they do provide a useful perspective that other panelists often value,” he said. “Nonetheless, the appearance is jarring and it is understandable that questions are being raised.”

Kanter added that industry reps “could present a practical perspective on the feasibility and implications of committee recommendations, as well as important constraints facing the sector—for example, issues with the supply chain or manufacturing.” The sponsor, who would also be in the meeting, “isn’t generally able to raise these concerns without being directly asked by committee members.”

As per Thursday’s announcement, Makary plans to replace the ousted industry representatives with input from patients, caregivers and other community representatives.

“Patient advocates and caregivers know a great deal about the health conditions that are affecting their daily lives, and some of them may be physicians or researchers themselves,” Kanter said. She acknowledged, however, that “in general, they do not go through the same screening process for scientific expertise as the other members and may not know as much about the scientific issues.”

Instead, these panel members play a different role in the conversation, “introducing information about the experience of living with the health condition or caring for someone with the condition, the needs, priorities, and sentiment of the patient community at large, and adding context and perhaps helping interpret the numbers and statistics,” Kanter continued.

Overall, she said, “This move is an important sign that Commissioner Makary will take a second look at the issue of industry influence on FDA activities, and I am generally supportive of that.”

https://www.biospace.com/fda/banning-industry-from-fda-adcomms-wont-move-the-needle-much-in-makary-rfks-fight-against-cois