Jad Tarifi Warns AI Will Outpace Advanced Degrees in Law and Medicine

Jad Tarifi, the founder of Google’s first generative-AI team, has warned that pursuing advanced degrees in fields like law and medicine may soon become a waste of time. The core issue, he argues, is the speed at which AI is evolving. By the time students complete multi-year programs, AI will likely have caught up—or even surpassed—what the degree is designed to teach [1]. This warning comes amid rising concerns over the relevance of higher education in an AI-driven world, with some tech leaders suggesting that traditional academic pathways may no longer provide the career advantages they once did.

Tarifi, who earned his own PhD in AI in 2012, acknowledges the irony of his position. However, he now believes that the lengthy duration of advanced degrees—often four to seven years—makes them obsolete before they even grant their graduates a competitive edge. “AI itself is going to be gone by the time you finish a PhD,” he said. He emphasized that even specialized applications of AI, such as in robotics, are advancing so rapidly that by the time a student completes their training, the technology will have already moved on [1].

The ex-Google executive is not the only voice in the tech industry raising concerns about the future of traditional education. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has suggested that AI models like GPT-5 can already perform tasks equivalent to those of a PhD-level expert. Similarly, Bill Gates has noted the accelerating pace of AI development, which often outpaces academic institutions’ ability to adapt their curricula [1].

Tarifi also criticized the traditional methods used in medical and legal education, arguing that much of what is learned in medical school is based on outdated, memorization-heavy practices. He suggested that future career success would come not from accumulating credentials, but from cultivating soft skills such as emotional intelligence, strong interpersonal relationships, and self-awareness [1].

This growing skepticism is not limited to Tarifi. Mark Zuckerberg has also expressed doubts about whether traditional college education adequately prepares students for today’s job market. He noted the rising costs of education and the increasing number of high-paying jobs that do not require advanced degrees. “I’m not sure that college is preparing people for the jobs they need today,” he said [1].

Despite these concerns, the pipeline from AI-focused PhD programs to high-paying private sector jobs remains robust. According to MIT, around 70% of AI doctoral students now take private sector jobs after graduation, up from just 20% two decades ago. However, this trend has raised concerns among academic leaders about a potential “brain drain” from universities, as more graduates choose industry roles over academic careers [1].

Henry Hoffmann, chair of the University of Chicago’s computer science department, has observed that the financial incentives for students have become so strong that some are even dropping out before completing their degrees to accept high-paying offers. One such student recently left a PhD program to join ByteDance with a six-figure salary, despite having no prior professional experience [1].

While the future of higher education in the AI age remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the speed of technological advancement is reshaping the value of traditional academic pathways. As AI continues to evolve, students and educators alike must reconsider what it truly means to be prepared for the workforce.

[1] Source: title1 (https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/ex-google-exec-ai-founder-jad-tarifi-advanced-degrees-phd-waste-of-time-higher-education-becoming-obsolue/?itm_source=parsely-api)