AI reshapes summer internships, boosting skills but threatening entry-level roles

During the current internship season, students like Jasreen Toor at Eightfold AI focused on developing a Claude-based agent to generate marketing drafts, marking a move away from classic clerical duties. Employers such as Liberty Mutual and Duolingo are leveraging these AI projects to provide interns with more strategic responsibilities, while Korn Ferry’s Shanda Mints cautions that once these roles are automated, future interns may revert to traditional entry-level work.

Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows recent graduates face an unemployment rate of 5.7%, nearly double the overall graduate rate, even as the National Association of Colleges and Employers predicts a 4% rise in internship numbers. Companies report that AI now handles tasks like data entry and slide preparation, freeing interns to focus on higher-order analysis and communication. At Northeastern University, AI-focused co-ops have doubled, and students such as Matt Mizra are using AI to tackle larger, business-critical projects. However, the accelerating demand for AI-savvy candidates creates a catch-22 for young professionals seeking experience.