Two weeks ago, I spent an hour with a college class of mostly seniors who will enter the workforce in less than a year. Their first job will require them to work with two types of teammates: humans and AI.
Professor Raul Galang (Professor RG) invited me to speak to his MKT 364 Product Design class at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins about what’s actually waiting for them after graduation.
These students are sharp and curious. They asked about entry-level expectations, what employers look for, and how to build AI skills that translate to real work.
I shared with them that AI isn’t here to replace your thinking. It’s here to make your thinking stronger. Some companies are already building marketing teams where AI teammates outnumber humans four to one. That’s not a distant future scenario. That’s happening now.
Humans and AI have complementary strengths. We bring a moral compass, judgment, context, and the ability to challenge assumptions. AI brings speed, pattern recognition, and the ability to process information at scale. When you combine both, you get better decisions faster. The key is learning to guide AI as a thinking partner, not just an answer engine.
I walked them through three levels of critical thinking with AI. Basic evaluation, multiple perspectives, and assumption-challenging. We compared lazy prompts with strategic ones and saw how dramatically output quality changes when you put in the work up front.
The students who will stand out know how to:
➡︎ Ask better questions instead of accepting first answers
➡︎ Pressure-test ideas and find blind spots
➡︎ Use AI to explore angles they might have missed on their own
➡︎ Show their thinking process, not just the final output
I also showed them how to use two practical tools for learning: NotebookLM and ChatGPT’s Study Mode. Both are free. Both help students go deeper on material, test their understanding, and practice in ways that actually build knowledge.
These students aren’t scared of AI. They’re trying to figure out how to use it well. That’s exactly the right mindset.
Parents and educators can help by teaching students to show their work and explain their thinking. Help them understand that using AI to strengthen analysis is different from letting AI do the thinking for you. Give them frameworks and tools to practice before they need it in a real job.
These students are about to walk into workplaces where AI teammates are standard. The ones who learn to guide AI thoughtfully will have a real advantage.
If you’re a parent with a college student, talk to them about building this skill now. I’ve written more about how I’m approaching this with my own daughter (link in comments).
These kids are ready. They just need guidance that matches the reality they’re walking into.
Big thanks to Professor RG for allowing me to share and inspire the next generation.