Will AI replace Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors?

Some of your tasks will be automated. People who use AI will have the edge.

Task exposure to today's AI

40/100

Moderate exposure

This is the occupation's typical task mix. Your own score can be up to 30 points higher or lower depending on how you work: routine share, people contact, judgment and how much you already use AI.

Get your personal score

Will AI replace Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors?

Not entirely. Today's AI tools can take on about 40% of the typical work in this occupation, mostly: provide students with information on topics such as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs. The parts that stay human include: Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.; Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.; Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to discuss children's progress, resolve behavioral, academic, and other problems, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs..

People who learn to use AI for the automatable parts keep the edge. The 3-phase plan below shows where to start.

Which tasks AI can take on

The largest tasks in this occupation, their share of the working week, and how much of each today's AI tools can do.

TaskAutomatable

Provide students with information on topics such as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs. 78%

Review transcripts to ensure that students meet graduation or college entrance requirements, and write letters of recommendation. 72%

Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations. 57%

Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.AI already used 55%

Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations. 15%

Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to discuss children's progress, resolve behavioral, academic, and other problems, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs. 15%

+ 29 more tasks (49% of the week) in the full test.

Your human edge

Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.
Confer with parents or guardians, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to discuss children's progress, resolve behavioral, academic, and other problems, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs.

AI tools to try

ChatGPT / Claude for case notes and lettersTranscription and summary toolsAI translation for clients

Related roles

A 3-phase AI learning plan

Phase 1

Less paperwork

Case notes and reports drafted from your notes, never with identifying data in public tools.
Letters and plain-language explanations.
Resource lists and service information compiled with AI.

Project

Use AI to draft 20 de-identified counseling case notes and a one-page financial aid resource list from your shorthand, and time the before/after per note.

Phase 2

Better support materials

Information sheets and guides in plain language.
Translations for clients, checked by a person.
Session plans and group activity materials.

Project

Build a plain-language college admissions and apprenticeship guide plus a human-checked translation in your top family language, and test it with 5 parents.

Phase 3

Responsible AI in the service

Agree on rules for client data and AI tools.
Spot where AI can free time for direct contact.
Train colleagues on safe use.

Project

Write a one-page AI and student-data rule sheet for your counseling team, train 5 colleagues in a 45-minute session, and track hours returned to direct student contact.

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