The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Emotional Economy and Its Further Implications for Students' Career Development

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, its impact on various economic and social domains has become increasingly profound, particularly in the emotional economy, where emotional value plays a central role. AI is driving structural transformations in the emotional economy, spanning dimensions such as emotional companionship, consumer experience optimization, and content creation. Simultaneously, the evolution of AI technology is reshaping the future job market, presenting both challenges and opportunities for career development, especially for high-performance students. Through literature review and case studies of emerging professions, this paper explores how AI influences the operational mechanisms of the emotional economy and examines the new types of jobs it generates (e.g., virtual digital human operators, AI emotional interaction designers). The study also analyzes the key competencies and adaptive strategies students need to navigate this trend. For students at a critical stage of career development, this transformation represents both an opportunity and a testhow they position themselves in this new, technology-humanities-integrated landscape will determine their future career trajectory and growth potential. Research indicates that interdisciplinary literacy, emotional intelligence, and human-computer interaction design skills will become core competencies in emerging professions. This study provides theoretical references and practical insights for student career planning, educational curriculum design, and corporate talent development.