Humanities Crisis Deepens as Independent Initiatives Emerge Amid Institutional Failures

The rise of generative AI has exacerbated a crisis in humanities education that started after 2008, as universities increasingly prioritize business-focused programs over traditional humanistic studies. Enrollment in humanities departments is dwindling, with a trend toward 'business-schoolification' where courses such as 'video-game ethics' take precedence over Medieval studies. In California, connections with Silicon Valley are shaping curricula, prompting students to choose majors like 'leadership' and 'sustainability' over classical disciplines. An example includes an American student in Florence who overlooked figures like Michelangelo and Dante. New initiatives like the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and the Hinternet Foundation are emerging. Critics contend that technological and cultural shifts are eroding the humanities, creating a gap that populist nationalism exploits. The essay advocates for alternative institutions to challenge traditional universities, highlighting that many Ph.D. students often seek careers outside academia.