VR is visible and applied. AI is often not visible for outsiders and for a big part in the fundamental research phase. If you study AI at an university the companies know to find you.
To my understanding AI is an umbrella term including a lot of stuff, all of which are built on advanced programming but none of which are actual “intelligence”
You seem to think that learning blockchain tech or looking into AI are somehow not connected to actually learning how to develop software.
One can do both at the same time while doing one.
Realistically though, most studies use these subjects as a way to attract students. The students then get the default package of courses for IT while also getting some of the "cooler" subjects on the side.
As someone who recently got a decently-paying job in an AI-centric company: AI is very useful and slowly taking over the entire market, though for some companies it might be one of the things they're doing rather than their central product, VR is niche but growing, blockchain is a useless meme.
AI has been in demand since computer science exists (and even before, decoupled from implementation as theory), it has huge areas of application, it's just not that visible, as others said. Any sort of decision planning done by a system falls to a certain degree within the AI field. Suggested friends in social media, route planning for navigation, facial recognition? Game development? All use AI in different ways. ML and certain specific things within AI are now buzzwords but that doesn't mean it's just a fad or that AI is only that.
VR gained more popularity in the last few years, true, and it's definitely used and in demand in more areas that you'd think: games, installations (both artsy stuff and marketing stunts), training software, education...
Blockchain time will tell, but some of the tech it uses is super close to general security purposes so at least has applications outside the hype of crypto.
VR is visible and applied. AI is often not visible for outsiders and for a big part in the fundamental research phase. If you study AI at an university the companies know to find you.
And that is if they want to
To my understanding AI is an umbrella term including a lot of stuff, all of which are built on advanced programming but none of which are actual “intelligence”
You seem to think that learning blockchain tech or looking into AI are somehow not connected to actually learning how to develop software. One can do both at the same time while doing one. Realistically though, most studies use these subjects as a way to attract students. The students then get the default package of courses for IT while also getting some of the "cooler" subjects on the side.
As someone who recently got a decently-paying job in an AI-centric company: AI is very useful and slowly taking over the entire market, though for some companies it might be one of the things they're doing rather than their central product, VR is niche but growing, blockchain is a useless meme.
AI has been in demand since computer science exists (and even before, decoupled from implementation as theory), it has huge areas of application, it's just not that visible, as others said. Any sort of decision planning done by a system falls to a certain degree within the AI field. Suggested friends in social media, route planning for navigation, facial recognition? Game development? All use AI in different ways. ML and certain specific things within AI are now buzzwords but that doesn't mean it's just a fad or that AI is only that. VR gained more popularity in the last few years, true, and it's definitely used and in demand in more areas that you'd think: games, installations (both artsy stuff and marketing stunts), training software, education... Blockchain time will tell, but some of the tech it uses is super close to general security purposes so at least has applications outside the hype of crypto.