Do College Students Think AI Skills Matter?

p strongMost college students see at least some value in developing generative-AI skills, but interest is strongest in particular academic and economic groups./strong/p p Primary Research Group found that 59.24% of surveyed students considered learning to use generative AI somewhat important, important or very important. Interest was higher among private-college students, students from higher-income families and STEM majors. The survey covered more than 1,000 students at four-year colleges and research universities./p p That demand should not be answered with a single general tutorial. Students need different capabilities: ing an appropriate tool, writing and revising prompts, checking sources, protecting confidential information, documenting assistance and knowing when the technology is not suitable. Discipline-specific examples make those lessons credible./p p Colleges should also guard against an access divide. Students at higher-tuition institutions reported greater use of ChatGPT&mdash79.35% at institutions above $20,000, compared with 53.93% below $6,000. Paid features, computing access and uneven faculty guidance can widen the difference between basic exposure and job-ready practice./p p AI literacy is becoming part of career preparation, but it should be taught as judgment rather than button pushing. The durable skill is the ability to produce work that remains accurate, explainable and responsible when tools change./p p  /p