India, Aug. 10 -- The debate over whether a degree still matters has become one of the loudest arguments in technology. Yet much of it is shaped by those building AI, rather than scientists, engineers and other professionals whose work depends on years of specialised training.

AI has undoubtedly raised the floor. It can summarise research papers, generate code, analyse data and draft business strategies in seconds. Work that once took hours can increasingly be completed in minutes.

But raising the floor is not the same as raising the ceiling.

Canada, UK or Germany: What should matter most to Indian students in 2026?

A paper can be summarised in seconds, but judging whether its research holds up takes years of expertise. The same is tr...