Over half of California college students say that the rise of artificial intelligence has impacted their decision on what to study, new research has found. It’s the latest insight into how AI is changing how people work and live in a state that’s recently taken a more cautious approach to the rapidly evolving technology.
The 2026 State of California Learners Gallup and College Futures report was released in October and captures how Californians feel about postsecondary education, the value of a degree, and AI.
It found that 55% of California adult students — people pursuing a degree or a certificate — reported AI had at least “some impact” on the program of study they selected.
The findings are based on web surveys from February and March, months
before a researcher with Anthropic, a leading AI company, announced his resignation and alleged that people building AI “earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” The alarm continued when another Anthropic employee said he believed that the chances of AI killing all humans is greater than “10% within the next decade.”
More than a week after these comments, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for experts to consider and report back on proposals related to AI safety and security, including the creation of a “kill switch” — an emergency shutoff that companies would be required to develop, the governor’s office said.
Will AI’s impact on jobs be positive or negative? Californians weigh in
The report also found that 32% of students believe AI will have a “great impact” on their future jobs, and 36% said it’ll have “some impact.”
However, Californians are nearly evenly split on how AI will affect their jobs: “36% of adults believe the impact of AI will be positive, and 37% believe it will be negative,” according to the report.
Earlier this year, Newsom called on officials to review research about AI’s impact on California’s labor market in a sweeping executive order intended to prepare the state for potential AI disruptions to the workforce.
More than half of California adult students are using AI regularly for their schoolwork — 20% use it daily and 35% use it weekly, according to the report.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AI is impacting what California students chose to study, report says
