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About one in three Americans has used an AI tool like ChatGPT to assist with a career change, according to a new report from Southeastern Oklahoma University (SOU),
The report, published Monday and based on a survey of 1,000 Americans spanning four generations, set out to understand the role that AI is playing in a moment of extreme fluidity and change throughout the US labor market: Over half of workers surveyed said they're actively considering a job or career change. This is most pronounced in Gen Zers (57%), followed by millennials (55%), Gen X (50%), and baby boomers (12%).
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Of the survey respondents who said AI is playing some kind of a role in their job or career change, many reported using it to draft resumes and cover letters (43%) or research new job opportunities, including those that could pay more than their current role (47%).
Nearly one in five (18%) said AI suggested an entirely new career path that they hadn't previously considered.
AI versus human guidance
All of this AI-generated career assistance and advice is tempered, however, by a relative lack of trust in the information that's being provided.
The majority of respondents (60%) said they'd still trust a human career adviser more than AI, while only a small minority (7%) said the opposite. Some (17%) said they've gone with the career advice provided to them by AI even when it contradicted advice they'd previously received from a human career counselor.
Across age groups, respondents said they're mainly looking into new career opportunities in technology fields, followed by healthcare and finance.
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