Artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed by a Glasgow college to imagine the futuristic jobs its students could potentially be working in 20 years’ time.

Glasgow Clyde College has implemented AI software to transform photographic portraits of students into lifelike recreations of some of the career opportunities which may be commonplace across the next two decades.

From a virtual reality experience illustrator to an avatar stylist, staff at the college combined course offerings with expert forecasts and AI’s predictions. They then used AI to create ultra-realistic images of the potential workspaces and even how the students might look performing these roles to come.

Enabling students to creatively visualise their career options is a proven technique to encourage motivation, help with goal-setting and boost academic performance.

The jobs which have been visualised and spotlighted by Glasgow Clyde College include:

• Avatar stylist: With virtual fashion set to be a booming industry as demand to style characters in the metaverse increases, fashion and textile students will be presented with new opportunities.
• Virtual reality educators: VR is set to revolutionise the classroom, so education students may eventually want to create immersive learning experiences for their pupils.
• AI and machine learning specialists: As AI and machine learning technologies advance, there will be a high demand for experts who have studied computing to develop, implement, and maintain these systems.
• Virtual reality experience illustrator: Technical drawings have traditionally been 2D despite the complexities they need to recreate. Anyone studying illustration will have a whole new dimension to explore.
• Robotics engineers: Designing and building advanced robots for various industries will be a new avenue for electrical engineering graduates.

While many of the jobs which may be prevalent in 20 years time are yet to exist, Glasgow Clyde College has identified lots of the crossover skills from courses which are taught today.

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Commenting on the endeavour, Jon Vincent, principal at Glasgow Clyde College, said: “We’ve been able to use some of the most advanced AI technology available to transport our students into potential jobs of the future.

“Helping them visualise what working life in 20 years might look like not only provides inspiration for the next steps after life at Glasgow Clyde College, but also offers new possibilities about what roles will be available down the line.

“Technology is progressing at a pace never before seen and we provide a wide range of courses to help prepare anyone studying at the college for the workplace of tomorrow.”