Creativity under Siege in the Age of AI

Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think” — Albert Einstein. The recent question paper from Jadavpur University’s Bengali department for the undergraduate entrance examination 2026 is a quiet revolution. Instead of demanding memorised facts or formulaic answers, it invites applicants to imagine a train journey with Pather Panchali’s Durga, write an open letter to a favourite literary figure, or reflect on the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. Such questions test not just knowledge but imagination, emotional intelligence, narrative skill and philosophical depth. They signal that higher education can still nurture the human mind’s most precious faculty: original thought.

Bangladesh has expanded its tertiary level education system impressively. The number of public and private universities has increased. Every year, more students are getting enrolled and graduates entering enter the job market. Bangladesh’s academia, unfortunately, offers a stark contrast. Our system still relies on rote memorisation, lecture-based teaching, and high-stakes exams that reward reproduction over creation. Artificial intelligence can now write essays, solve mathematical problems, generate computer code, summarise books, translate languages, prepare presentations and even answer examination questions within seconds. If examinations merely evaluate how much information students can reproduce, then it is time to realise that machines have already become better examinees than humans. This is not a technological crisis but an educational one.

Bangladesh’s growing graduate unemployment should not be viewed solely as an economic problem. Rather, it is also an educational problem. Every year thousands of highly qualified graduates compete for limited employment opportunities. Yet, employers frequently struggle to find candidates capable of solving real-world problems. Decades of examination-centric education have produced graduates who excel at recalling information but struggle with genuine problem-solving and divergent thinking. Classroom discussions are rare. Critical analysis is often substituted by “expected answers”. Research, when it happens, frequently amounts to minor variations on Western templates rather than addressing Bangladesh-specific realities with fresh eyes. AI is mercilessly exposing this weakness. A student who has never been trained to craft an original argument or weave a compelling story finds their skills easily replicated or surpassed by machines. When employers or global opportunities demand innovation, adaptability, and decision-making, our graduates often fall short.

Bangladesh already grapples with a massive mismatch between education and employment. Thousands of graduates from public and private universities enter the job market each year only to discover that their degrees do not translate into productive work. The rise of generative AI is accelerating this crisis. Routine cognitive tasks-- content writing, basic coding, data analysis, translation, customer support scripting, even certain legal and medical documentation-- are being automated.

The tragedy is twofold. Firstly, we are producing too many graduates trained for jobs that AI is making redundant. Secondly, we are failing to equip them with the irreplaceable human skills (such as creativity, ethical reasoning, complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence and cultural insight) that AI cannot fully replicate. The result is widespread frustration, underemployment, brain drain and a generation that feels betrayed by the education system.

Bangladesh needs a bold reorientation of academia with three interlocking priorities: entrance exams, coursework and assessments must shift towards open-ended, imaginative and problem-based formats. Essay questions, project-based learning, debates, storytelling exercises and original research should become the norm, not the exception. Literature, philosophy, history, and art programmes-- often dismissed as “impractical”-- must be defended and revitalised precisely because they train the mind to handle ambiguity, ethics and human complexity. AI can be integrated as a tool, not a crutch: students should learn to use it while being rigorously evaluated on their own originality and oversight.

Curricula need urgent updating to emphasise real-world challenges facing Bangladesh. We must teach students not just what to think but how to think and how to keep learning when technologies change.

Joblessness cannot be solved by education reform alone, but education is foundational. We need proper investment in lifelong learning, vocational upskilling, and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Government, universities, and the private sector should create innovation hubs that encourage students to build AI-augmented solutions for local problems. Policy must focus on sectors where human touch remains essential: caregiving, creative industries, education itself, community leadership, advanced research, and ethical AI oversight.

The AI revolution does not have to mean the obsolescence of human intellect. It can be the catalyst that finally forces us to value what makes us uniquely human: our ability to tell stories, feel deeply, imagine radically different futures, and solve problems with empathy and ingenuity.

As Bangladesh prepares for an AI-driven future, our universities must shift from testing memory to nurturing imagination, from rewarding conformity to celebrating curiosity, and from producing graduates with certificates to producing citizens with the confidence and competence to solve the nation’s most pressing challenges.
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The writer works as Senior Assistant Director at Strategic Planning & Quality Assurance Division, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC)