This is a web edition of GBH Daily, a weekday newsletter bringing you local stories you can trust so you can stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.
⛅️Chance of showers today with a high of 53. Sunset is at 5:41 p.m. It’s day 29 of the federal government shutdown.
Today, we’re exploring the (huge) impact artificial intelligence is having on college campuses — and on students and recent graduates. As AI continues to reshape the early-career job market, colleges are adapting their programs to keep pace. GBH’s Kirk Carapezza has more — but first, the news.
From GBH News
1. Heads up: a coastal storm expected tomorrow and on Halloween is prompting the rescheduling of some local celebrations. Both Fenway Park and Patriot Place have moved their family events to today to get ahead of the forecasted heavy rain and winds. Halloween at Fenway will now take place this afternoon, featuring trick-or-treating on the field and other activities.
Meanwhile, the annual Trick-or-Treating SPOOKtacular at Patriot Place also takes place this afternoon. Candy and treats will be given out to children in costume throughout the marketplace. Both events are free and open to the public.
2. More than a million Massachusetts residents who rely on government assistance to buy food could lose those benefits starting in November. Anti-hunger advocates are raising concerns about the combined impact of the federal government shutdown, stricter eligibility requirements and broader funding cuts by the Trump administration. Erin McAleer, president and CEO of the nonprofit Project Bread, says these changes will worsen already high rates of food insecurity.
“I would absolutely call it a perfect storm,” McAleer said.
3. On the topic of food insecurity, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is suing the Trump administration over SNAP funding that’s set to run out. Campbell, along with nearly two dozen other attorney generals, announced the lawsuit yesterday, arguing that withholding federal food benefits is illegal — and that only Congress, not the president, has the authority to block the funding.
At a protest over SNAP funding on Beacon Hill yesterday, Campbell said, “Let’s be clear: all of us standing here are not just saying in words that this is inhumane, that this is cruel. .We’re also showing up in action.”
4. The Massachusetts State House is set to vote today on a sweeping early literacy reform bill, aiming at addressing what leaders are calling “troubling trends” in student reading rates. The bill takes on what officials describe as a growing literacy crisis, as more young learners struggle with the foundational reading and writing skills essential for success in school and beyond.
“In Massachusetts, we have school districts [that] have yet to fully adopt a proven literacy curriculum, even though such approaches are the most effective ways to improve reading outcomes,” House Speaker Ron Mariano said on Monday.
A Closer Look
Colleges hope to ‘AI-proof’ their offerings as new tech changes job expectations
By Kirk Carapezza
Mehmet Ergezer teaches computer and data science at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He also works in the tech industry. Through both of his jobs, he’s seen the growing pressure to use AI tools.
“It is definitely used as a way to increase productivity for the existing engineers,” he said. “If there’s something that maybe you could do in a few weeks, you can do it in a couple of days now with the use of AI. That means they can give you more tasks to do.”
In the classroom, Ergezer said new technology has changed how he teaches, too. When chatbots first arrived, they couldn’t handle his homework problems.
“So I was like, ‘Yay! It’s smart, but not that smart,'” he said. “But that changed in months.”
AI is transforming entire industries, from software development to construction management to architecture. Now, Ergezer and other professors are racing to keep up, as artificial intelligence disrupts the entry-level job market. Openings are shrinking in fields most exposed to automation, including software development, social media and coding.
Check out Kirk Carapezza’s full report on how AI is changing the job market game here.
Dig Deeper
Rather than AI, this professor chooses a chalkboard and old-fashioned booksA look into one local school district that’s leaning into AIWith AI common on campus, some educators are leaning in
GBH Daily
Your essential daily newsletter delivering trusted news, local insights, ways to connect, and can't miss programs from Boston and beyond.
