When ChatGPT can deliver a lecture in seconds and students can TikTok their way to a business degree—do we still need professors?
That question isn’t just provocative. It’s personal. It touches every classroom, every student, every educator, and every institution trying to stay relevant in a world where artificial intelligence isn’t coming—it’s already here.
But maybe the real question isn’t whether professors are still relevant. Perhaps we’ve been asking the wrong question all along.
Inspired by Sergei Revzin’s Forbes article, “Are College Professors Still Relevant in the Age of AI?”, this conversation is no longer theoretical. The stakes are real: Will AI replace professors? Will students prefer chatbots to coaches? What should institutions do to adapt without losing their soul?
Let’s explore what this AI moment means from every corner of the learning ecosystem—faculty, students, technology, higher education, and society itself—and what happens next if we’re brave enough to reimagine it all.
👩🏽🏫 The Faculty Perspective: From Deliverer to Designer
AI’s ability to deliver knowledge isn’t a threat—it’s an invitation. For faculty, the opportunity is to shift from being content broadcasters to learning designers and developmental mentors. This includes curating AI tools, guiding ethical use, helping students apply knowledge, and serving as thought partners—not answer machines.
I recently spoke with a professor who redesigned her business ethics course around AI use cases—inviting students to write prompts, debate dilemmas, and defend decisions in real-time. That’s what teaching with AI looks like.
In fact, educators nationwide are learning that AI doesn’t just boost efficiency—it can support well-being. In a recent piece for NextGen Learning, Dr. Sarah Fine explored how overwhelmed faculty can harness AI to reimagine their workload, reclaim creativity, and reduce burnout—not by doing less, but by working smarter with purpose (Fine, 2024).
Guiding Insight: Professors who reframe their role will become even more essential in helping students think, discern, and lead with integrity.
💬 “AI can deliver content, but only humans can deliver wisdom.”
🎓 The Student Perspective: Craving Flexibility Without Losing Connection
Students may love AI’s speed and accessibility, but what they value most is connection. They want answers quickly, but they need people who care. Human professors provide feedback, encouragement, and mentorship—things AI simply can’t replicate.
Guiding Insight: Students don’t want to replace professors—they want professors who use AI to enhance learning, not abandon it.
💬 “The best learning happens when students feel seen—not just scanned.”
🤖 The Technology Perspective: AI as a Co-Pilot, Not a Replacement
Tech innovation is moving fast, but the most powerful designs come from human-AI collaboration. AI can summarize, simulate, and streamline—but it needs human educators to ask the right questions, build ethical guardrails, and contextualize learning.
Guiding Insight: The future of edtech is not automation—it’s augmentation.
💬 “AI can suggest the path, but humans still light the way.”
🏛️ The Institutional Perspective: Redesigning to Stay Relevant
Higher ed institutions face pressure to innovate or fade into irrelevance. The goal isn’t just to adopt AI tools, but to redefine learning environments—investing in faculty development, ethical policies, and flexible models that keep human learning at the center.
If you’re in education or leadership today, what are you doing to ensure your mission doesn’t get outsourced to automation?
Guiding Insight: Institutions that align AI integration with mission—not just cost-saving—will lead the future of education.
💬 “The institutions that thrive won’t be the fastest—they’ll be the ones most faithful to their mission.”
🌎 The Societal Perspective: Redefining What It Means to Be Educated
This isn’t just an education issue—it’s a societal one. How we respond to AI in the classroom will ripple outward into the workforce, civic life, and generational trust. We must decide whether education remains a transactional process or a transformational journey.
Guiding Insight: In a society flooded with information, the true value of education will lie in interpretation, ethics, empathy, and wisdom.
💬 “The future belongs to the wise, not just the well-informed.”
👔 The Employer Perspective: Bridging Classroom to Career
Today’s workforce doesn’t just require knowledge—it demands discernment, creativity, and ethical judgment. Employers are watching how we prepare students in this AI-infused world. Professors who integrate tools like ChatGPT with intentionality help students build the kind of reasoning and collaboration skills automation can’t teach.
Guiding Insight: Faculty who teach students how to think with AI—not just use it—will shape the most prepared graduates.
💬 “Career readiness isn’t about mastering a tool—it’s about mastering the thinking behind the tool.”
🧭 The Ethics and Equity Perspective: Guarding the Gate
AI can open doors, but it can also widen gaps. Not all students have the same access to tools, time, or support. Faculty are on the front lines of ensuring learning stays inclusive and ethical, protecting against bias, misinformation, and unequal opportunity.
Guiding Insight: Professors are not just instructors—they’re stewards of fairness and trust in an age of digital disruption.
💬 “Equity isn’t a feature of AI—it’s a decision made by the humans who use it.”
📚 The Lifelong Learner Perspective: Relevance at Every Stage
Education doesn’t end at graduation. Adult learners and mid-career professionals are returning to the classroom to reskill and reimagine their paths. AI can empower this—but only with professors who understand how to guide, coach, and humanize the journey.
Guiding Insight: In every season of life, learners want mentors who help them grow—not just machines that give them answers.
💬 “No matter your age, real growth starts with a guide who believes in your becoming.”
Betting On Reimagined Relevance, Not Replacement
Revzin’s question—“Are professors still relevant?”—misses the real opportunity.
What if we stopped asking whether professors can compete with AI and started asking:
How can professors use AI to elevate what only humans can do?
Professors aren’t going anywhere. But their role is shifting fast—from the front of the room to the side of the student, guiding, equipping, and helping them rise above the noise.
💬 “The future of higher ed won’t be decided by technology—it’ll be shaped by who dares to lead it.”
With Inspiration Moments, we share motivational nuggets to empower you to make meaningful choices for a more fulfilling future. This moment of AI disruption isn’t the end of higher education—it’s a challenge to redesign it, restore its purpose, and reclaim its power.
As always, stay mindful, stay focused, and remember that every great change starts with a single step. So, keep thriving, understanding that “Life happens for you, not to you, to live your purpose.” Until next time.
Respectfully,
Lynn “Coach” Austin
References
Fine, S. (2024, June 24). Are you an educator on fire? AI can help you chill out. NextGen Learning. https://www.nextgenlearning.org/articles/are-you-an-educator-on-fire-ai-can-help-you-chill-out
Revzin, S. (2025, July 23). Are college professors still relevant in the age of AI?Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeirevzin/2025/07/23/are-college-professors-still-relevant-in-the-age-of-ai/
About the Author
Lynn F. Austin is an author, EdTech consultant, and educator dedicated to helping others achieve their highest potential. With a strong foundation in faith, Lynn combines her expertise in business, doctoral work in AI strategy and innovation in higher education, and a deep passion for growth and development. Her proven leadership in business education and innovation makes her a trusted speaker, coach, and business consultant.
A valued voice in both academic and business circles, Lynn is a frequent writer on AI in higher education and the author of The BOM: Betting on Me, The Newman Tales series, and other business, motivational, and faith-based books. She empowers professionals, educators, and students alike to thrive with purpose and lead with wisdom.