AI career mentors: Why students trust algorithms more than teachers

Key points:

• AI is not replacing us as mentors. It is showing us where students feel unserved
• KU researchers publish guidelines to help responsibly implement AI in education
• Students are anxious about the future with AI–their parents are, too
• For more on AI mentors, visit eCN’s AI in Education hub

Lately, I’ve noticed a theme in the headlines. There are countless stories about AI chatbots stepping into the role of therapist or being used for emotional support. But almost no one is paying attention to a different, quieter shift: Students are beginning to ask AI not just about their feelings, but about their futures.

Instead of going to teachers, guidance counselors, or mentors, many young people are turning to tools like ChatGPT to ask the kinds of questions that shape identity and direction.

• Am I good enough for this role?
• How do I pass the interview?
• What should I do with my life?

For them, AI is becoming the silent mentor. Always available. Always neutral. Free from judgment. That reality has big consequences for how we think about education and the future of work.

Why young people choose AI

The reasons are easy to understand.

Asking a teacher or a boss those questions can feel risky. What if you sound naive? What if you get dismissed? With AI, there is no fear of embarrassment. The answer comes instantly, at any hour of the day. To many students, it even feels more credible. After all, algorithms have processed more job postings, résumés, and interview tips than any single human ever could.

Surveys confirm this shift. In a recent study, 87 percent of students said they already use AI for schoolwork. Sixty-two percent believe mastering it will be essential for their careers. In the workplace, the pattern is similar. Business Insider reported that nearly half of Gen Z employees prefer to ask career questions to AI rather than their own managers, even though most also say they wish their managers had more time for these conversations. The message is clear: Young people are not avoiding guidance. They are avoiding judgment.

What gets lost when AI becomes the mentor

The problem is not that students use AI. The problem is what they miss if they use it alone.

Growth has always required friction. We become stronger when we are rejected, when we hear tough feedback, when we are forced to defend an idea in front of another person. Those moments are uncomfortable, but they build the qualities employers value most.

When students rely only on AI, three things are at risk.

First, resilience: AI never says no, which means students miss out on learning how to handle setbacks.

Second, communication: Explaining yourself to a chatbot is not the same as persuading another human being.

Third, adaptability: AI delivers polished answers, but it cannot replicate the ambiguity, emotions, and contradictions that exist in real conversations.

These skills are not side notes. They are the foundation of employability. Employers already warn of a growing soft skills gap. Overreliance on AI could make that gap wider.

How schools can respond

It is tempting to imagine banning AI in classrooms. But let’s be honest. Students are already using it, often quietly, on their phones and laptops at midnight when their doubts are strongest.

The real question is not whether students should use AI. It is how schools can help them use it wisely.

One step is to bring AI use into the open. Rather than pretending it does not exist, ask students to compare what AI suggests with what a teacher or mentor might say. Encourage them to reflect on the differences.

Another step is to create safe feedback spaces. If students are running to AI because they are afraid of judgment, then educators need to design environments where making mistakes is expected. Project work, role play, and peer review can help normalize vulnerability.

Finally, we should look for ways to blend AI and human guidance. Imagine a student practicing an interview with an AI tool, then sitting down with a teacher or coach to reflect on tone, body language, and authenticity. AI provides efficiency. The human provides depth.

The bigger picture

At stake here is more than just skill development. Education has always been about identity. It helps young people discover who they are and how they want to contribute. If students start outsourcing these questions to algorithms, what does that mean for their growth as people?

We could end up with graduates who can produce flawless cover letters and polished answers, but who freeze when they face rejection. Workers who can mimic the right language, but who never developed their own voice.

Handled carelessly, this trend could create a generation that feels prepared but struggles to adapt in real workplaces. Handled with intention, it could be an opportunity to strengthen education by combining the best of AI with the best of human mentorship.

The opportunity

For me, the most telling part of this trend is not the technology itself. It is what technology reveals. Young people crave safety. They want a space where they can ask the big questions without shame. They want guidance that is instant and accessible. That tells us something about what our education systems are not providing today.

Instead of fighting against AI, schools could learn from this behavior. What if classrooms were as safe to ask “dumb” questions as a chatbot? What if career centers were as accessible and responsive as an app?

AI is not replacing us as mentors. It is showing us where students feel unserved. If we meet that need while still preserving the hard but necessary lessons of real feedback, we can give students the best of both worlds.

Conclusion

AI mentors are here, whether we like it or not. They are already shaping how students think about themselves and their futures. But educators and leaders still have a choice. We can allow this to unfold passively, or we can intentionally design systems where AI guidance is paired with human coaching.

Because at the end of the day, students do not just need answers. They need the awkward, messy, sometimes painful experiences that build resilience, adaptability, and empathy.

AI can be a guide. But it cannot be a mentor. That role still belongs to us.