“Liberal arts graduates are a company’s secret weapon in the age of artificial intelligence.”
That’s how Allison Shapira — Harvard lecturer, executive advisor, and former opera singer — opened her thought-provoking LinkedIn article. She shared something many students of liberal arts universities in India often feel deep inside but rarely say aloud: their education is not just relevant, it’s vital for the future.
Allison wrote about being underestimated for her choices. She moved from fine arts to Italian literature, only to be told by her father in a joking tone, “Don’t you want to minor in something practical, like economics?” For years, people questioned her degree and her employability. But now, as AI takes over routine tasks, her words ring like a wake-up call: “As AI commoditises expertise, what’s needed most is what liberal arts majors were trained to do: see the big picture, ask foundational questions, and imagine what’s possible.”
She is right. Liberal arts may have once been considered a ‘soft option’, but in the present AI-driven workplace, they are becoming one of the smartest choices.
The Misunderstood Strength of Liberal Arts
Let’s pause for a second. What exactly are the liberal arts subjects? Philosophy, sociology, history, psychology, literature, languages, mathematics, political science, anthropology, and even art. In other words, disciplines that deal with questions, perspectives, and human experiences.
A bachelor of liberal arts degree does not trap students into one box. Instead, it gives them freedom to explore across fields. You could take literature with economics, philosophy with mathematics, or psychology with media studies. This mix is what shapes you into someone who can connect dots between seemingly unrelated ideas.
Yet, for decades, parents and peers in India worried about these courses. “How will you find a job?” was a common refrain. Many students avoided liberal arts colleges in India because of the social fear of being called “unemployable”.
But let’s look at the reality today. AI is brilliant at calculations, translations, and predictions. But ask it why history repeats itself, why humans resist change, or why a story moves someone to tears — it falls short. And this is the strength of liberal arts education in India. It prepares people not to compete with machines, but to ask questions machines cannot ask.
AI and Liberal Arts: A Partnership, Not a Rivalry
The fear many students have is whether AI will take away even creative roles. The truth? AI is powerful, but it works best in partnership with human creativity. And this is where liberal arts thrive.
Nishtha Shukla Anand, Trustee and Director of the School of Media and Communications at Shoolini University, spoke passionately about this integration:
“For the Indian student, AI in liberal education will take care of basics like language, syntax, and grammar to quite an extent. This means students can focus on ideas, cultural context, and conversations. Liberal arts education with AI support is more complex but brimming with possibilities. There can be more research and collaborative outcomes, which can be so much more interactive! It gives me goosebumps just thinking about how liberal arts will evolve with AI.”
Her words highlight a shift already visible in classrooms. Imagine a sociology student using AI simulations to test theories of human behaviour in virtual societies. Or a media student experimenting with augmented reality in digital storytelling. Or a philosophy student using AI-powered research tools to analyse centuries of thought across cultures in minutes.
This is AI in liberal arts—not replacing human curiosity, but amplifying it. Students no longer spend hours correcting grammar or searching through archives. Instead, they focus on ideas, connections, and new ways to see the world.
Liberal Arts Courses: More Flexible Than You Think
A BA liberal arts or bachelor of liberal arts degree does not narrow your path; it multiplies your choices. Graduates move into diverse careers — journalism, consulting, teaching, design thinking, psychology, public policy, corporate communications, research, entrepreneurship — even roles in tech companies where cultural insight and storytelling matter.
There has also been a shift in the needs of employers. They no longer only want specialists. They want adaptable minds — people who can think across fields, who can write clearly, analyse ethically, and understand humans, not just numbers. And that’s exactly what liberal arts courses prepare you for.
Why Choose Shoolini University?
When we talk about liberal arts colleges in India, many names appear. But not all truly embrace the future-ready vision of liberal education. This is where Shoolini University, based in Himachal Pradesh, stands out.
Shoolini offers one of the best liberal arts programs in Himachal, not by treating it as an old-fashioned humanities course but by reimagining it in the AI era. Students here are encouraged to mix and match disciplines — philosophy with data science, literature with psychology, history with technology. This flexibility ensures they graduate as thinkers who can adapt to multiple industries.
The university has strong research opportunities, international collaborations, and a serene campus environment that fuels both creativity and focus. Faculty members mentor students not only to study but also to experiment, debate, and innovate.
Placements are another strong point. Graduates find roles in consulting firms, media houses, policy think tanks, educational institutions, and increasingly, in emerging fields like AI ethics and cultural data analysis. In short, liberal arts education in India is gaining momentum, and Shoolini is among the institutions leading this transformation.
Liberal Arts and the Skills of the Future
What employers now value goes far beyond technical expertise. They want curiosity, problem-solving, communication, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. These are all strengths nurtured by liberal arts subjects.
For example:
- A history student learns how to interpret complex patterns, which is crucial in data storytelling.
- A psychology graduate understands human motivation — essential in marketing and UX design.
- A literature student hones language and empathy — skills that drive leadership and team-building.
- A philosophy major asks foundational ethical questions — critical in guiding AI development responsibly.
This is why Allison Shapira urges liberal arts graduates not to downplay their degrees. In her words: “This isn’t a moment to apologise for your ‘impractical’ degree. It’s a moment to own it. We are translators between technology and humanity. And the world needs us.”
A Student’s Perspective
Let’s bring it down to you, the student reading this. You’re probably thinking about employability, stability, and relevance. That’s fair — after all, you want a career, not just a degree. But consider this: careers change every few years. The job you’re training for now may not even exist in a decade.
What will keep you ahead is not just technical knowledge, but the ability to think widely, to adapt, and to lead with empathy. A bachelor of liberal arts does exactly that. It gives you tools to learn for life, not just for one job.
Conclusion
AI is changing the workplace at breathtaking speed. But technology without a human perspective is incomplete. Liberal arts education provides that missing piece — context, empathy, ethics, and creativity.
Both Allison Shapira’s global perspective and Nishtha Shukla Anand’s vision from Shoolini University point to the same truth: the liberal arts is not outdated. It is the foundation of future-ready education.
So, if you’re still wondering whether to explore liberal arts courses at liberal arts universities in India, the answer is yes — because the future needs thinkers, translators, and dreamers, as much as it needs coders and analysts. And that’s what a BA liberal arts degree builds you into.
In an age where AI dominates, the real value lies in those who can give technology its meaning. And that’s where liberal arts will always thrive.
SOURCES
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-liberal-arts-majors-thrive-age-ai-allison-shapira-9ukce/
https://shooliniuniversity.com/blog/the-silent-revolution-ai-unseen-influence-in-education/
https://bangid.com/Why-Liberal-Arts-and-Design-Thinkers-Are-Thriving-in-the-Age-of-AI/
