The open letter titled "Unlock 8% Higher Wages" urging U.S. lawmakers and education stakeholders to make computer science and AI mandatory in high school curricula across the country.

Asking ChatGPT-4o: Analyze the open letter titled "Unlock 8% higher wages" and tell me what it's all about and whether you agree with those views or not.

ChatGPT-4o’s answer:
The open letter titled "Unlock 8% Higher Wages", published by CSforALL and co-signed by hundreds of prominent tech CEOs and educational leaders, is a policy advocacy document urging U.S. lawmakers and education stakeholders to make computer science (CS) and artificial intelligence (AI) mandatory in high school curricula across the country.

Core Arguments of the Letter:

1. Economic Upside:

   • A single high school CS class can lead to 8% higher wages for students, regardless of career or whether they attend college.

   • Widespread CS education could unlock $660 billion annually in economic potential for the U.S.

2. Equity and Opportunity:

   • CS as a requirement could help close persistent wage and skills gaps, especially for underrepresented communities.

   • Only 12 U.S. states currently require CS education, meaning most students miss out.

3. Global Competitiveness:

   • Countries like Brazil, China, South Korea, and Singapore already mandate CS or AI instruction in schools.

   • The U.S. is seen as falling behind in preparing its youth for an AI-driven economy.

4. Bipartisan Movement:

   • The letter emphasizes that this initiative has support across political lines.

   • Over 750 signatories, including CEOs of Microsoft, Adobe, Airbnb, IBM, Meta (CTO), Khan Academy, and Stability AI, back the movement.

5. Moral and Strategic Imperative:

   • The message frames CS/AI education not as a luxury, but as a moral obligation to prepare the next generation for future job markets and citizenship in a tech-centric world.

My Analysis and View:

Strengths:

• Evidence-Based and Inclusive Framing: The 8% wage boost, while needing scrutiny, is a powerful data point, and the inclusive framing (“regardless of career path”) broadens appeal.

• Strategic and Timely: As AI reshapes industries, integrating CS/AI into early education is critical to ensure workforce readiness, digital literacy, and democratic resilience.

• Global Benchmarking: Highlighting how other countries are ahead provides a sense of urgency.

Limitations or Considerations:

• Over-reliance on Economic Framing: While compelling, the wage increase figure may be correlational rather than causal. The letter doesn’t delve into nuances like quality of instruction, curriculum content, or access disparities.

• Implementation Gaps: The call to action is high-level but lacks detailed strategies for teacher training, curriculum standards, or funding mechanisms— all crucial for equitable rollout.

• Tech Industry Motives: With backing from Big Tech, there's room for skepticism. One could argue that promoting CS/AI education aligns with talent pipeline needs of major companies, which may or may not always align with students' long-term interests.

Do I Agree?

Yes, broadly — I support the core message that CS and AI literacy are essential 21st-century skills and should be part of every student's basic education. However, I believe the implementation should be:

• Equity-focused, ensuring marginalized communities get real access, not just formal inclusion.

• Balanced, integrating ethical, humanistic, and societal dimensions of technology to avoid producing purely technical workers.

• Guarded, so educational policy is not driven disproportionately by corporate interests.