News Highlights
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Nearly two-thirds (61%) of students believe AI will create more career opportunities than it will take away.
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80% of students are confident they can use AI effectively, while 81% believe their education is preparing them for work.
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Over eight in 10 (82%) students worry that while AI helps them work faster, they are not learning material as deeply
Dubai, UAE,October 2026 – More than eight in 10 (82%) students worry that while AI helps them work faster, they are not learning material as deeply, a new global survey of over 6,000 students for the HP Futures 2026 report has found. Led by HP, the Global Learning Council, and the Education Leaders Forum, the HP Futures report also convened 58 education, policymaking and future of work leaders to examine how education systems can equip young people for the future of work.
When students want to retain material, they still reach for analogue methods such as printing or handwriting notes. Nearly half of student respondents (49%) choose a method involving print or handwriting, while fewer than one in five students (18%) choose AI summaries as their preferred method.
Despite worries over the risk of cognitive atrophy, students are optimistic about their future in an AI-driven world. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of students believe AI will create more career opportunities than it will take away. The survey also found 80% of students are confident they can use AI effectively, while 81% believe their education is preparing them for work.
David McQuarrie, Chief Commercial Officer at HP and Chair of HP Futures, said “Educators, policymakers and employers share a responsibility to prepare young people for the opportunities and challenges they will encounter throughout their lives and careers. As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms how we learn and work, that responsibility has never been more important.”
Education systems must do more to help students develop, demonstrate and continuously strengthen the capabilities that will remain valuable regardless of how technology evolves.”
The survey also revealed that students believe creativity and critical thinking are the most important skills for the future job market. Students put these durable human skills above technical ones. Creativity (56%) and critical thinking (56%) topped the list, and communication and collaboration (52%) came ahead of AI and digital literacy (44%). Technical or coding skills (29%) ranked only eighth.
The report called on policymakers worldwide to develop clear blueprints for how to help students build the durable skills that will be essential in workplaces of the future, and to ensure that these are not treated as secondary or extracurricular. It also called on policymakers to keep literacy, numeracy and identity-forming learning at the core of education, while using creative, hands-on approaches to deliver fundamentals and durable skills simultaneously.
Mayank Dhingra, Director & Global Head – Education Business and Strategy at HP, added “HP Futures 2026 gives a unique snapshot of the global student perspective on what young people today think about the skills they need to own, and the impact AI is having on their thinking, their lives and their job prospects.” Most strikingly, these students warned that while they feel AI-confident and AI is helping them to work faster, they are concerned that they are not learning material as deeply. It is vital that student voices are prominent in the conversation as education systems make decisions around the future of curricula and assessment models.”
The report argues that durable skills must become a core part of education systems rather than an optional addition to them. Alongside new approaches to assessment, it calls for greater support for educators, who remain central to helping students develop the creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills that employers increasingly value.
Drawing on insights from more than 6,000 students and 58 global education and future of work leaders, the report outlines practical recommendations for policymakers, educators and employers to help prepare young people for an AI-enabled future.
Methodology:
HP Futures conducted an online survey from May to June 2026, which received 6,206 responses from students in 37 countries across versions published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, Italian and Arabic. Respondents ranged from under 12 to over 25 years old, with 88% of those stating an age between 12 and 17.
The report also convened 58 leading experts for a series of roundtable discussions and one-to-one interviews, and compiled a series of practical case studies from schools, universities, employers, NGOs and public systems around the world.
About HP:
HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more.
