Academic Doomerism

AI doomerism is everywhere these days. Every field, and recently humanity as a whole, has had its "we're finished" post. In contrast to the run-of-the-mill hot take, Jason Potts has written an economics paper on why academia is doomed. So let's dive in.What does a university sell?Potts says a university is really a platform. It is a hub that connects many different groups: undergrads, grads, teaching staff, research staff, employers, government, alumni, donors, parents, etc. Each group needs the others. Undergrad tuition helps pay for the research infrastructure for the professors whose research reputation drew the students there in the first place. International student fees provide funding for local students. Unfortunately, this isn't a diversified portfolio kind of situation, but more of a weakest-link setup. If you pull on one thread, several others start to come loose as well.(Side remark: I will admit that I have always struggled to find the true customer the universities…