Salesforce offers free AI tools to UK students as graduate job market lags

The UK graduate job market is experiencing its lowest levels since 2020, prompting Salesforce to offer free AI tools to six million students. The US technology giant announced this initiative on Thursday, providing universities and colleges access to its workplace platform, Slack, and AI tools to help prepare graduates for a shifting job market.

This move comes as AI is increasingly replacing entry-level tasks, creating concerns about the traditional routes to employment, despite businesses' efforts to recruit workers with new skills. Salesforce UK chief executive Zahra Bahrololoumi stated that AI is reshaping recruitment, with companies prioritizing candidates who can work alongside the technology.

Emerging roles include AI ethicists, designers, and testers. However, Bahrololoumi rejected the idea that AI would permanently reduce opportunities for graduates, emphasizing that Salesforce is actively hiring computer science graduates. Students will receive access to Slack Enterprise and its AI features, with universities determining how they utilize the technology.

Salesforce plans to evaluate the scheme's impact on graduate employment outcomes. The announcement follows warnings from the International Monetary Fund's chief, Kristalina Georgieva, about AI's potential to affect 60% of jobs in advanced economies, particularly impacting younger workers. An OECD report revealed that nearly four-fifths of jobs in London were highly susceptible to generative AI.

Despite this, evidence suggesting widespread job losses due to AI remains limited. Bahrololoumi highlighted the urgency of Britain's digital skills gap, attributing responsibility for preparing workers for AI-driven jobs to businesses, universities, and the government. The scheme is part of Salesforce's $6 billion UK investment plan through 2030, which includes expanding its London AI campus.