ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AWARENESS ANDITS INFLUENCEON CAREER DECISION-MAKING AMONG UNIVERSITYSTUDENTS

This study investigates how university students' career decision-making is impactedbytheirawareness of artificial intelligence (AI). Few studies have looked at howstudents' understanding of AI influences their career choices and capacity to adjust to the changinglabor market, despite the fact that prior research has concentrated on AI's impact onemployment patterns. Analyzing differences in AI awareness and its impact across variousacademic fields, skill development, and career confidence is the aim of this study. Materialsand Methods: A survey of college students and a thorough literature evaluation of peerreviewed sources served as the foundation for this study. To evaluate AI familiarity, opinionsabout AI-driven employment opportunities, and its impact on career decision-making, astructured questionnaire was disseminated using Google Forms. Stratified randomsamplingwas used to ensure representation across fields among the 106 students who took part inthestudy. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 26, employing statistical tests suchasthe Chi-Square test, Independent Samples T-Test, and One-Way ANOVAto identifysignificant relationships. Results and Discussion: A statistical study showed that therearenotable variations in the ways that job ambitions are influenced by AI awareness. Studentswith high and low awareness of AI showed significantly different levels of career confidence(p < 0.05), according to the Independent Samples T-Test. Students in AI-intensive fieldsdemonstrated higher career adaptability and confidence in AI-driven job markets, accordingto the One-Way ANOVA test (p < 0.01). Students who knew more about AI were more likelyto look into occupations that involved AI, according to the Chi-Square test, which showeda strong association (p < 0.05) between AI awareness and career decisiondeterminants.Conclusion The study comes to the conclusion that university students' careerdecisions, skill development, and ability to adjust to changes in the labor market areall greatly impacted by their awareness of AI. Students who are more exposed to AI showgreater confidence in occupations powered by AI, but those who are less informed mayfindit more difficult to explore career options. Universities and legislators should incorporate careercounseling, skill-building initiatives, and AI-focused curricula to maximize career readiness. Future studies should examine the ethical implications of AI in professional development, cross-cultural differences, and AI literacy initiatives.