Application of Artificial Intelligence in Students' Career Choice: Implications for Counselling in Nigerian Schools

Application of Artificial Intelligence in Students’ Career Choice: Implications for Counselling in Nigerian Schools *Wilsoro Efe1 and Moses Chukwugi Ossai 2 1. Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling. Delta State College of Education, Mosogar. Delta state, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2866-4695 2. Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling Delta State College of Education. Mosogar Delta state, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1715-6936 Abstract This paper explored the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on students' career choices, focusing on the counselling implications for effective career guidance. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the study examines how AI tools shape students' career decision-making, offering personalized guidance based on individual interests and capabilities. The paper reviewed current literature, highlighting key factors influencing career choices, such as access to AI platforms, career self-efficacy, and exposure to diverse career pathways. AI's role in expanding students' awareness and confidence in career choices is a recurring theme in the literature. The paper posits that AI positively influences students' career exploration by providing tailored career suggestions and improving decision-making processes. However, over-reliance on AI without human guidance poses risks, such as limiting critical thinking in career decisions. This underscores the importance of integrating AI into career counselling programmes while maintaining human oversight. It was concluded that there should be integration of AI tools in educational counselling programme, training career counsellors on AI utilization, promoting AI awareness among students, formulating national policies for AI use in education, and fostering collaborations between AI developers and educators to align tools with students’ needs. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Career Choice, Career Counselling, Social Cognitive Career Theory, Education, Students.