Integrating AI and human careers guidance in higher education

Research by the University of Aberdeen finds that AI is most effective in careers services when it complements human expertise rather than replaces it

Artificial intelligence is changing how students access careers support, from CV writing and interview preparation to career research and employability development.

This report explores how AI can be integrated into higher education careers services while maintaining the human-centred, relational aspects of careers guidance that students continue to value.

Key findings

• Careers professionals consistently view AI as highly effective for transactional tasks such as CV drafting, interview preparation, labour market analysis, and resource generation.
• Participants emphasised that relational and developmental aspects of careers guidance remain fundamentally human-centred.
• Trust in AI outputs is conditional, with practitioners positioning AI as a starting point that requires professional review and contextualisation.
• AI adoption varies significantly across institutions, ranging from embedded service-wide integration to cautious experimentation.
• Institutional support, governance, and staff confidence strongly influence AI adoption.
• Participants identified significant opportunities relating to scalability, efficiency, and AI literacy development.
• Concerns centred on authenticity, skill erosion, equity of access, data protection, and over-reliance on AI.
• The findings support a blended guidance model in which AI enhances practice while practitioners retain responsibility for ethical oversight, interpretation, and relational guidance.

About the report

This Jisc-funded research by the University of Aberdeen explores how artificial intelligence can be optimally integrated with human careers guidance within higher education careers services. The research examines careers professionals' experiences of AI, current approaches to adoption, and perceptions of its opportunities and limitations.

Using a qualitative methodology, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with 11 careers professionals working across UK higher education institutions. The research explored perceptions of AI effectiveness, current patterns of use, institutional support, and the implications of AI for professional practice and identity.

The project also led to the development of a practical toolkit designed to support careers professionals in adopting AI ethically and effectively while maintaining the human-centred principles of careers guidance.