I'm starting my fourth semester studying Information Systems Management at Auburn. During the first week of classes, nearly every discussion focused on AI and how heavily it may be used for coursework. I'm uncomfortable with the hype around AI and don't want it doing my schoolwork for me, but I feel out of step with my classmates and professors who treat it as universally beneficial.
My goal has been to work in IT, perhaps starting in help desk and eventually moving into systems or network administration. I'm wondering whether I'm in the wrong major if I'm strongly opposed to using AI. Are there IT careers where I could work with little or no AI, or should I accept that employers will expect me to use it? I enjoy the major and could tolerate AI-focused coursework if I knew I could still build a career based on solid technical knowledge and human judgment.
4 Answers
You don’t have to love AI or trust every answer it gives, but completely refusing to learn about it will probably limit your options. IT has always involved adapting to automation, virtualization, cloud platforms, scripting, and new management tools. AI is becoming another tool in that chain.
The best approach is to learn the fundamentals well enough to verify anything AI produces. Use it for tasks such as explaining documentation, analyzing logs, drafting scripts, or improving ticket responses—but review everything before it affects a real system. Your technical judgment is still the valuable part.
Be honest with yourself about what you actually dislike. If it’s the marketing hype, inaccurate answers, job displacement, energy use, or using it to replace learning, those are reasonable concerns. If your position is that you will never touch an AI-enabled tool under any circumstances, then IT may be a frustrating choice because the field changes constantly.
You don’t need to become an AI enthusiast. Aim to be competent enough to use it when it provides a clear benefit, avoid it when it creates risk, and explain why. Employers generally care more about reliable results and sound decisions than whether you’re personally excited about the latest trend.
Most IT employers are likely to expect at least some AI literacy, even if you don’t personally use it for every task. Vendors are adding AI features to their products, help desks may require staff to consult internal assistants, and coworkers will use it when troubleshooting or automating work.
That doesn’t mean every job is going to be nonstop chatbot management. Systems administration still involves networks, operating systems, identity, hardware, security, change control, and working with people. You can build a career around those areas, but you should understand how AI fits into them and be prepared to support or govern it.
Your skepticism can actually be an advantage. Plenty of people accept AI-generated scripts or recommendations without understanding the risks. Someone who knows the underlying systems and is careful about privacy, security, testing, compliance, and rollback procedures can prevent serious incidents.
You can keep doing your coursework manually when that’s allowed and use AI only as a subject to study or evaluate. A career in security, governance, compliance, infrastructure reliability, or AI controls may suit you better than blindly promoting AI products. Just distinguish between opposing careless or unethical use and refusing to understand the technology at all.
That distinction helps. I’m mainly opposed to people using AI instead of learning the material and to companies pushing it everywhere without considering the risks. I can probably learn enough to evaluate and manage it without making it the center of my work.