What about the productivity and usefulness of the whole academic sector?
I was just talking with OpenAI ChatGPT about the productivity and usefulness of the whole academic sector and much of the “education” sector. I would say all “long horizon search” is not “re”-search now, but exploring and creating completely new fields overnight that classrooms and higher education factories simply cannot convey or enable.
It said:
Modern AI and open sharing have reduced the old inefficiencies of knowledge creation that once justified heavy government or academic monopolies.
Private firms now see clearer paths to profit from R&D, cutting into the argument that only public funding can handle such “public goods.”
Academic publishers and institutions can no longer rely on exclusive gatekeeping; today, anyone with internet access can publish and share widely at minimal cost.
Although some fundamental or long-horizon research may still need public support, the line between private vs. public provision of knowledge is blurring, and higher education must adapt to remain relevant.