Dr. Brian Ralph: Will Gen Alpha Go to College? AI, Higher Ed, and Curiosity

Dr. Brian Ralph spent 32 years in higher education, nine of them as a university president. His biggest worry about AI is not cheating. It is that people are losing the ability to be curious about each other. Dr. Ralph joins Ryan Vet to talk about the students he watched arrive on campus, from millennials to Gen Z, and the generation that is coming next. Gen Alpha could be tutored by AI from the start, so what does a college have to offer that a machine cannot? His answer starts with what college is for. He argues that one of its greatest outputs is graduates who have learned how to learn, because content is a few taps away and what society needs is people who can think critically, solve problems, and ask the big questions. That is why he pushes back on the claim that Gen Z is the last generation to go to college, while still making the case for the trades. AI is not taking those jobs anytime soon. The conversation then turns to AI itself. Dr. Ralph shares the self-imposed rules he follows in his own coaching and consulting work, including taking the first pass at any new creative work before a prompt ever gets involved. He remembers his first reaction to ChatGPT as raw fear, and the board member who showed him a video that took 15 minutes to make. And he explains why social media felt like a slow car accident while AI is moving too fast for anyone to fully understand the impact. Ryan asks what he would tell a millennial parent whose child could be walking onto a campus in 2044. His answer: avoid the huge pendulum swing, but swing the pendulum back some. For leaders, the advice is simple. Do not put the technology ahead of your people. **IN THIS EPISODE** - What three decades on campus showed him about millennials, Gen Z, and the students arriving next - Why he does not believe Gen Z is the last generation to go to college - Why one of college's greatest outputs is graduates who have learned how to learn - Why he believes curiosity about individuals matters more than curiosity about information - What happens if Gen Alpha is AI-taught, and what that could cost socially - The rules he sets for his own AI use - Why social media was a slow car accident and AI is moving much faster - His advice for millennial parents and for leaders: do not put the technology ahead of your people **CONNECT WITH DR. BRIAN RALPH** - Website: brianralphleadership.com - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianralphphd Dr. Ralph is the founder of Brian Ralph, LLC, offering strategy advising and executive coaching for corporate, higher education, and nonprofit leaders. **GO DEEPER WITH COLLIDE** Ryan writes about generational shifts in leadership, work, and culture every week in his COLLIDE newsletter. Read it free: ryanvet.com/collide **ABOUT THE RYAN VET SHOW** The Ryan Vet Show is a podcast about generations, culture, leadership, and the future. Host Ryan Vet is a USA Today bestselling author, generational futurist, and keynote speaker with more than 1,000 live in-person presentations. **COMING UP** Thursday, October 22: a new COLLIDE essay episode. Send us Fan Mail # **About Ryan Vet** Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in *Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC,* and *CBS*. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold. # **Join 20,000+ Leaders for Weekly Insights** If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter: 👉 https://ryanvet.com/collide