This chapter examines how media students and recent graduates in Egypt engage with artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism and media professions, positioning their perspectives within the broader framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on a national survey of 460 participants, the study examines how students perceive the opportunities, risks, the future of their job market, and the pedagogical presence of AI in their academic experience. Findings reveal high levels of informal AI literacy, self-motivated learning, and broad optimism regarding AI’s role in media innovation and sustainability, which resonate strongly with SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). However, students also report significant concerns about employment precarity, institutional unpreparedness, and ethical risks such as bias and misinformation, reflecting gaps in SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Despite limited formal instruction, participants articulate a values-driven vision for AI in journalism, rooted in inclusivity and transparency, and call for local regulatory frameworks—principles aligned with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). The chapter highlights a generational paradox: while students are adapting to the algorithmic transformation of journalism, educational institutions are slow to respond to this shift in the field. The Egyptian case provides unique insights into how media systems in the Global South are navigating AI under conditions of infrastructural and epistemic constraints. The chapter calls for a justice-oriented pedagogical shift that treats students not merely as future practitioners but as active theorists of journalism’s algorithmic futures and communicators of sustainable development.