AI is accelerating changes already underway in higher education—reshaping how students learn, how faculty teach and assess learning, and what it means to be prepared for a career that may span many jobs and continual reinvention.

In this conversation, Gates Bryant, Senior Partner at Tyton Partners, discusses what these shifts mean for the future of higher education. Drawing on findings from Tyton Partners’ Time for Class 2026, we discuss the growing importance of real-world experience and human judgment, the need to rethink assessment and better support faculty, and how universities can build stronger connections between learning and work. The conversation also looks beyond the traditional college years to consider a larger question: what role should universities play in helping people continue to learn, adapt, and grow throughout their careers?