An AI Optimist and a Skeptic Debate the Future of Work

October 14, 2026

One intern thinks AI will open doors for anyone with a laptop. The other worries it will cost students the skills they came to college to build. In this episode of The Future of Work: Student Voices, students Remko and Ellie discuss AI. Remko, leans on it for research in his internship and calls himself an optimist by choice. Ellie avoids it where she can, worried about its environmental cost, the bias built into it and what relying on it too early could mean for the skills interns are supposed to be building. They cover how AI is being used in college, how it shows up in an internship, why deepfakes worry them both, who might get left behind and where they still find common ground. Chapters Meet Remko and Ellie How AI Is Used in College AI in the Internship and the Workforce Biggest Concerns Biggest Hopes Where AI Is Headed Final Thoughts In each episode, our interns take on a question shaping the careers they're about to start, in their own words. Explore The Washington Center's Academic Internship Program and discover how students can build skills, professional networks and experience Washington, D.C. #AI #Internships #FutureOfWork #TWC

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An AI Optimist and a Skeptic Debate the Future of Work

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