Tyler Cowen Warns Straight-A Grades 'Guarantee Nothing' In The AI Age, Economist Says What Matters Is If You Are A 'Good Dog Trainer'

Economist Tyler Cowen told students at Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala this week that "the mere fact that you are smart and got good grades, that now matters much, much less than it used to," warning that traditional academic signals have slipped in value as artificial-intelligence tools reward a new set of skills.

What Happened: Cowen, a George Mason University professor and co-author of the “Marginal Revolution” blog, argued that grades once served as a near-universal hiring filter but "that now is greatly devalued." He said top employers increasingly want people who can "train" or steer AI systems — "Are you a good dog trainer? … but with this," he asked, lifting his phone.

The 62-year-old economist added that "being smart, getting good grades, no longer a guarantee of anything."

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“I think this [referring to the AI age] will be the greatest mobility engine probably the world has seen. Many people will become much wealthier than they imagined they could be…. Other people, I think, will decide to be more passive," Cowen added, predicting "two paths — the greater-impact path and the lazy path."

Why It Matters: Companies from Tesla to Apple have already stopped insisting on four-year degrees for many roles, betting that real-world problem-solving trumps college transcripts. A 2023 survey from Intelligent.com found 55 percent of U.S. firms have dropped at least some degree requirements to widen their talent pool.

Research published by the University of Iowa last fall shows college GPAs link to job performance has weakened over the past two decades. Parallel data published by Resume Builder reveals Gen Z workers are shifting into skilled trades for security against white-collar automation.

Global employers from IBM to Walmart now advertise "skills-based" roles after internal studies showed higher retention among non-degree hires, according to the Financial Times.

Photo Courtesy: Ralf Geithe on Shutterstock.com

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