"Eventually, AI will surpass us in everything"—so what skills will still matter?
Curiosity, adaptability, and collaboration will be key as AI reshapes entire industries, says Dr. Gail Gilboa Freedman.
The question "Which professions will be replaced, and which will be created by artificial intelligence?" is not the right one when considering AI’s impact on the labor market. We are on the verge of a profound revolution, the consequences of which are still difficult to grasp. Dr. Gail Gilboa Freedman, a mathematician and AI expert, was recently recruited by Sapir Academic College to establish the Faculty of Advanced Technologies, preparing students for a world undergoing one of the most significant transformations in history.
"Today, computers already outperform humans in certain tasks while still falling short in others. According to reports I have read, most employers worldwide prefer assigning tasks to AI-powered bots rather than junior employees in many positions. This shift is fundamental," says Gilboa Freedman, Founding Dean of the Faculty of Advanced Technologies at Sapir Academic College.
The fact that AI still struggles with some tasks makes people feel superior to it. "We tell ourselves that we write better songs or that chatbots sometimes generate nonsense—and we cling to that. But the real question is not what AI can or cannot do today; it’s the pace at which it is learning and improving. If we imagined a human learning at the same speed, we would find it terrifying. That’s why we need to understand this gray area in which AI is overtaking us. Eventually, AI will surpass us in everything. The labor market is changing so fundamentally that it’s not just a matter of replacing some jobs with new ones. This is a broader puzzle, one with more capabilities, and within it, both robots and humans will have roles—but we still cannot see the full picture," she explains.
Gilboa Freedman has worked in both industry and academia, including as a data scientist at Citi’s Innovation Center and as a faculty member at Reichman University. Her research focuses on mathematical modeling and has been published in academic journals and presented at international conferences.
She sees the disruption of higher education due to AI as an opportunity, narrowing the gap between large, well-known universities and smaller institutions.
"The rules of the game are changing. To integrate students into the job market and provide real value, we need to equip them with completely different tools. As a small and flexible college, we have the agility to do this. Our faculty’s focus is training students to work in the world of AI and robotics," she says.
Preparing Students for an Uncertain Future
How do you prepare students for a job market evolving at an unimaginable pace?
"The lifespan of technological skills today is only about a year and a half. Even if I had a magic formula to determine the exact skills my students need, and even if I transformed the curriculum into hands-on, skills-based learning—something many universities aspire to—it would still become outdated within 18 months."
This, she argues, necessitates a shift in both content and the structure of higher education itself.
"Universities need to become adaptive, just as AI systems do. They must continuously learn and evolve. Additionally, the focus should shift away from traditional classroom-based learning toward direct engagement with industry. Sitting in a lecture hall solving exercises on a board is becoming increasingly irrelevant. I want students to experience the benefits of university—networking, friendships, hands-on projects—while acquiring practical skills directly from industry professionals."
The Role of Academia in the AI Era
If companies are prioritizing AI for routine tasks, does higher education still have a role to play?
"The main purpose of academia today is to instill values. It makes sense to develop a structured curriculum that also fosters critical thinking." AI aims to mimic human reasoning, but true intelligence comes from an individual’s education, which provides conceptual frameworks for processing new knowledge. "The values, critical thinking models, and empathy that students develop in their studies will remain relevant. Universities must take responsibility for this, and their importance will actually increase."
The AI Revolution and the Workforce
As an AI expert and someone establishing a faculty to train students for the tech industry in collaboration with industry leaders, how does she view AI’s impact on the labor market?
"Every major technological advancement throughout history has sparked fears of job losses. But new technologies also create roles we cannot yet foresee. I always say robots are here with us, not in our place. We must learn to use them, train them, and develop them. AI is not something that just appeared—it is something humans created and will continue to refine. It will be relevant in nearly every field, enabling the development of entirely new industries."
AI is not simply replacing workers one-to-one. "The remarkable thing is that with less effort and less data, computers are learning in ways that leave us in awe—not just because they match human capabilities, but because in certain fields, they already surpass us. Living through such an era is both exhilarating and demands responsibility. Universities are the natural place to lead this transformation."
Her vision for students? "Curiosity. The most sought-after skill in the industry is the ability to adapt and leverage new tools. In a world where humans and machines work together, where computers teach themselves, universities should be places where both computers and students learn. We need to prepare for a future where robots and people collaborate on teams—and we must actively imagine what that looks like."
The implications are profound. "Computers are not just becoming as intelligent as humans—they are evolving beyond us. If AI first aimed to be as smart as a mouse, then a monkey, then a human, and now an Einstein—what happens when it surpasses even that? What will it be capable of? We don’t yet know how to imagine its limits. The challenge is not just using AI to improve our work but understanding what happens when AI does things we never thought possible."
Building an AI-Ready Society
Facing a world where AI capabilities exceed human ones requires collaboration between governments, industry, and academia.
"This isn’t a world where universities manufacture students as products for the job market. We need to think together about how to align graduates’ skills with industry needs. Joint thinking is how we prepare for the new reality," says Gilboa Freedman. She believes the gaps between universities are becoming less relevant compared to the widening gap between humans and machines. This presents an opportunity for all academic institutions—including those in Israel’s periphery.
Bringing Technology to the Western Negev
How does this vision fit with Sapir Academic College, located in the Western Negev, especially after October 7?
"Our vision in five words: technology in the Western Negev. Around the world, academic institutions have driven regional economic transformation. Research leads to industry collaboration, which fosters entrepreneurship and job creation. This well-established model can be replicated here.
“We have two main goals: first, to secure a better future for young people in the Western Negev; second, to strengthen resilience—not just security resilience, but political and economic resilience. Tel Aviv is only an hour’s train ride from Sderot. Many people in central Israel spend more than that stuck in traffic. Geography exists only in our minds."
Israel’s Role in the AI Revolution
Israel is not currently at the forefront of AI. How can the country prepare and embrace this transformation?
"We need a national AI policy, steering committees to set clear goals, and interdisciplinary collaboration—not just in computer science, but also in the humanities, economics, and social sciences."
She proposes creating a network of "knowledge ambassadors"—experts in AI and education—who will train others in adapting to the changing landscape. "No institution should work alone. We need a national task force with leaders from multiple disciplines.
“In times of rapid technological change, integrating humanities with technology is essential. If we only ask computer scientists how to reform education, we’ll get a partial answer. The best approach combines technological expertise with a humanities perspective and moves forward like a startup—constantly iterating, responding to changes, and evolving."
