Reward those with AI literacy

College of DuPage’s free artificial intelligence literacy program teaches students and residents to identify inaccuracies, question AI-generated information and apply human judgment. Suburban employers should reward those skills when they hire.

A survey of 3,128 U.S. hiring professionals, released Sept. 30 by Western Governors University, found that 60% say AI makes it harder to evaluate candidates’ real skills. The share still figuring out how to assess AI proficiency doubled from 16% in 2025 to 32% in 2026.

A polished AI-assisted application reveals little about someone’s ability to spot a fabricated claim or make a responsible decision.

For entry-level office, health care and customer-service roles, employers should use a short, supervised work sample. Give candidates an AI-generated response with a wrong policy, an invented fact or a disclosure of private information. Ask them to identify the error, verify the relevant facts and explain a safer response.

College of DuPage’s new courses and Oct. 7 summit offer a starting point. Local employers should partner with instructors to develop practical assessments and provide supervised entry-level opportunities. Candidates who can correct AI’s mistakes deserve a chance to demonstrate their value.

Gleb Tsipursky, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, Columbus, Ohio