AI can write the essay, help with homework, and increasingly participate in the hiring process. So how do schools and employers know what someone actually knows?

ETS CEO Amit Sevak joins Macro Talk after the education and workforce assessment organization acquired ACT to explain why AI may increase — rather than eliminate — the need to measure human skills.

Sevak tells Hope King why he believes AI in its current form should stay out of elementary-school classrooms, why high school students need to learn how to use it responsibly, and why traditional signals like college essays, degrees, and one-time credentials may become less useful as AI reshapes education and work.

They also discuss the future of standardized testing, how ETS is working with major AI platforms, the shift from linear career milestones toward continuous skills validation, and why communication, collaboration, empathy, and other “durable skills” may become increasingly important in the AI economy.

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AI can write the essay, help with homework, and increasingly participate in the hiring process. So how do schools and employers know what someone actually knows?

ETS CEO Amit Sevak joins Macro Talk after the education and workforce assessment organization acquired ACT to explain why AI may increase — rather than eliminate — the need to measure human skills.

Sevak tells Hope King why he believes AI in its current form should stay out of elementary-school classrooms, why high school students need to learn how to use it responsibly, and why traditional signals like college essays, degrees, and one-time credentials may become less useful as AI reshapes education and work.

They also discuss the future of standardized testing, how ETS is working with major AI platforms, the shift from linear career milestones toward continuous skills validation, and why communication, collaboration, empathy, and other “durable skills” may become increasingly important in the AI economy.

Sign up for the free newsletter: macrotalk.news

If more Americans participate in the stock market, will that lead to more rational thinking? That's the argument that Leif Abraham, co-founder and co-CEO of Public.com is making.

He and his co-founder Jannick Malling join Macro Talk to discuss how retail investors are shaping the economy and how companies operate. They also discuss how A.I. is creating more opportunities for customized investment styles — something fund managers and financial advisors should watch closely.

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And check out the transcript here:

LinkedIn data shows a striking divide emerging in the AI labor market: the median salary range for AI job postings is roughly $177,000, compared with about $80,000 for job postings overall. And despite widespread anxiety about AI’s impact on entry-level workers, Gen Z is capturing a significant share of new AI engineering and Forward Deployed Engineering roles.

But there’s a catch: AI workers still represent only a tiny fraction of the overall workforce, more than 90% of people working in AI have at least a bachelor’s degree, and women remain dramatically underrepresented— particularly in AI leadership.

LinkedIn Head of Economics for the Americas Kory Kantenga joins Hope King on Macro Talk to break down what LinkedIn’s latest data says about the AI jobs boom, Gen Z, salaries, inequality, college, layoffs and the broader U.S. labor market.

Zendesk CEO Tom Eggemeier expects the company to return to public markets at some point, but for now, the customer service and support platform is enjoying being private — aiming to hit $1 billion in AI annual run rate in 2028.

Download the podcast companion guide here: MacroTalk.News