Mark Cuban Pushes Back After Peter Diamandis Says $300,000 College Degrees Teach Skills AI Can Do For Free: 'Can't Teach You The...'
As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and education, billionaire investor Mark Cuban and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis are clashing over whether traditional college degrees still justify their soaring costs.
Diamandis Questions The Value Of College Degrees
On Friday, Diamandis took X and argued that universities charge students roughly $300,000 for degrees that teach skills large language models can now perform at little to no cost.
"Hot take: Universities charge $300,000 for a degree that teaches you skills any LLM can do for free," Diamandis wrote, questioning whether higher education may represent "the greatest individuals misallocation of capital in recent history."
Cuban Says AI Cannot Replace Human Skills And Accountability
In response, Cuban agreed that college costs have become "ridiculous and extortionary," but pushed back strongly against the idea that AI can replace the broader experience of higher education.
"An LLM can’t teach you the people and life skills that you gain in college," Cuban wrote.
The billionaire investor argued that while AI can improve learning, it cannot replicate real-world experiences such as presenting in front of classmates, learning accountability, working through social situations or building responsibility.
"It can’t teach you how to learn," Cuban added, saying college provides experiences beyond academics.
Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney also replied to Diamandis and said, "For adults, LLMs can do directed teaching WAY better than one-to-many teaching."
He added that personalized instruction works better because explaining concepts thoroughly to every student in a classroom setting can either leave some behind or disengage others.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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