ATLANTA — Georgia Institute of Technology President Ángel Cabrera is speaking to leaders from across the globe about the economic needs, education and prosperity.
While Davos, Switzerland is close to 5,000 miles from Atlanta, it wasn’t too far for Cabrera to speak with Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer about what Georgia Tech is doing to help students access education and economic mobility.
A new report from the institution on admissions showed that 12% of Georgia Tech’s first-year students in 2026 are the first in their families to participate in higher education. The report also highlighted that 14% are from rural areas.
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Speaking with Channel 2 Action News via Zoom from the World Economic Forum, Cabrera said Georgia Tech was working to ensure everyone can access education.
Cabrera told Stouffer that the university ranks at the top for return on investment.
“It makes me very proud, because that’s what were about, to make sure that students get an opportunity that is going to be transformative for them, for the families and for the communities,” he said.
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Cabrera told Channel 2 Action News that he was in Davos showing people from around the world what Georgia does right when it comes to education.
Taking the opportunity to ask Cabrera about pressing issues facing Georgians and the world, Stouffer asked about how artificial intelligence is changing the jobs picture for graduates.
Cabrera said that like many higher education institutions, the Atlanta-based Georgia Tech is trying to figure out its role.
“But our view at Georgia Tech is we are not gonna keep AI out,” Cabrera said. “That would be a big mistake. We’re not seeing AI as a threat, we’re seeing that as a huge opportunity.”
Cabrera added that Georgia Tech is preparing graduates for new positions.
“Our role is to make sure that every student that graduates from Georgia Tech is able not to compete with AI, but to use AI, to harness the power of AI, to be able to do bigger and better things because they can use AI,” Cabrera said.
The university president also said that normally, a first entry-level computer engineering job was working on coding, but now most of that is done by machine.
“So, in a way, the demand is now for a higher level of talent,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera also said that what he’s hearing in Davos reinforces his commitment to invest in Georgia Tech’s aerospace programs.
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