Briefly Noted for August 3, 2025: Some Good News for the Humanities

For those of us in the humanities, the last 20 years have often felt like a siege. But maybe we’ve reached a nadir. With a new semester just around the corner, here are a few links that may provide a needed boost.

A recent Inc. article, "The Rise of AI Will Make Liberal Arts Degrees Popular Again," suggests that as AI handles more technical work, uniquely human skills like connective thinking and creativity—hallmarks of a liberal arts education—will become more valuable. Rather than making the humanities obsolete, AI may spark a renaissance. We can hope.

Media, business, and parent attitudes notwithstanding, the Mellon Foundation reports that humanities majors are "thriving in a broad range of lucrative and meaningful careers." Backed by a national study showing low unemployment and high job satisfaction, Mellon is investing in paid student internships to build on these underreported facts of humanities education.

A story from Case Western Reserve University, "The Future is Interdisciplinary," details how Case is weaving the humanities directly into its technology and science curricula. With new majors and collaborative spaces, the university is making an institutional bet that the future’s biggest challenges require human-centered perspectives.