The same as it was before. It's a great way to show that you have the resources to not only spend several of your most productive years not only without an income, but also paying a significant amount, proving you can navigate elite-class society and you are not likely to be a burden to your employer.

I think the dust is still settling and it’s unclear what exactly the job market will look like a few years from now, but you could make the argument that qualifications are more important in the age of AI because entry-level jobs are no longer available.

If you think college's importance is reduced because of AI I don't think you understand education, or perhaps you understand it only too well.

Michael Polyani had interesting theories about the nature of science. He proposed that Scientists are actually more like craftsmen in a guild, and you become a scientist by being accepted into the guild based on your work and tutelage.

If you aren't doing law, science, engineering, architecture, vetinary, dental or medicine then the attraction is intellectual curiosity. If you think being an autodidact is more satisfying, maybe its not for you but I think talking to other people is more interesting than talking to myself.

Robert M. Pirsig said some things about the nature of a university. It's an idea more than an institution, or at least I think he thought it should be.

C.P. Snow likewise discusses his personal views of why Oxford and Cambridge emerged, what study meant in the days of a single student per tutorial.

"important" is highly contextual. It is very likely importance to job, importance to life satisfaction, importance to income, life quality, all diverge (and always have done) and AI doesn't make predicting things here any easier.

Personally, I'd do it but I'd think hard about community college or state university rather than private: if you question the value proposition then investing in a name for Ivy League prestige is either cynically valuable or pointless but if you have to ask, you don't know. That's risky. Take the shorter, cheaper path because you can always do a Masters or PhD somewhere else.

Germany has an interesting education system which is remarkably open handed to people not from Germany. Why not have a life experience? (they also do some teaching in english as do the dutch, and swiss universities. I'm unsure where the french are in this but Cisco backed some stuff at the Sorbonne)

It will always be important as a networking / social experience with very like minded folks. But for learning the subject, not so sure