Craig Mundie, a former Microsoft executive and longtime AI expert, says the current college curriculum is outdated and must be completely reimagined to prepare students for an AI-driven future. Speaking with Business Insider, Mundie addressed a growing concern among parents: what should their children study to succeed in a world where AI is transforming jobs and industries at an unprecedented pace? Rather than focusing on which specific career path to pursue, Mundie argues that the real challenge lies in rethinking education itself. He believes the future of learning should not be about memorizing facts or mastering fixed skill sets, but about cultivating the ability to continuously learn, adapt, and collaborate with intelligent machines. Mundie, who served as Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer for 22 years and co-authored the 2015 book "Genesis" on the societal impact of AI, says AI is poised to reshape human work more profoundly than any previous technology. As machines take over both physical and cognitive tasks, the traditional link between work and human dignity may weaken. This shift demands a new understanding of what it means to be valuable as a person. He criticizes the current education system for its rigid divide between STEM fields and the humanities. While STEM teaches technical skills, the liberal arts foster critical thinking—but often without practical application. Mundie proposes a new model: a "liberal education in technology," where students gain deep technical knowledge while also developing reasoning, ethics, and creativity. He questions the relevance of the traditional classroom model, which he traces back to the printing press era when mass literacy required standardized instruction. Today, AI enables scalable, personalized teaching. "We can have as many teachers as we want now because the AI will be the teacher," he said. This opens the door to a dynamic, Socratic style of learning, where AI tutors adapt to a student’s pace, curiosity, and interests. Mundie acknowledges that schools and universities have been slow to adopt this change, often responding to AI with bans or restrictions. But he sees such resistance as natural for established institutions. "The natural tendency of the incumbent is to preserve the incumbent system," he said. However, he believes that when a technology as transformative as AI emerges, most traditional systems will not survive intact. He points to promising examples like Khan Academy’s AI tutor, Khanmigo, which guides students through questions rather than giving direct answers. This kind of AI application, he says, represents the future—where intelligent agents help users explore deeper understanding, solve complex problems, and even work autonomously across systems. Mundie believes that while younger generations will adapt quickly to this new learning environment, the real test lies with educators and institutions. The question is not whether students can learn with AI, but whether schools are willing to evolve. The future of education, he insists, won’t be about teaching content—it will be about empowering people to learn continuously, creatively, and in partnership with machines.