The use of AI as an assistive tool is expanding among career centers—60% say they are using it with students and another 16% plan to do so in the next year. However, there are reasons—such as a lack of expertise, limited capacity, and ethical considerations—that are preventing some centers from leveraging it, according to NACE’s forthcoming 2024-25 Career Services Benchmark Report.  

Included among the main reasons why career center staff are not using AI with students are concerns about the technology collecting students’ personal data. For any center using or considering using AI, ensuring student data are protected, especially when working with third-party AI tools, is paramount to its successful implementation and ongoing use.  

Jeremy Schifeling, founder of The Job Insiders, says career centers can ensure their data are protected when using AI by:

• Following Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance—Ensure AI tools comply with student data privacy laws.
• Using secure, vetted AI platforms—Work with trusted, education-focused AI providers that prioritize data protection.
• Limiting data access—Only allow AI tools to analyze anonymized or essential data.

Doing so will allow career centers to maximize the analytical capabilities of AI. 

“AI allows career centers to unlock deep insights from their data in ways that traditional analysis can't,” Schifeling says.

He highlights several ways career centers can use AI to analyze their data, including:

• Resume and job-match insights—AI can analyze resume data alongside job postings to identify skill gaps and suggest career-aligned opportunities.
• Student engagement prediction—AI can flag students who haven’t engaged with career services and recommend outreach strategies to boost participation.
• Industry demand analysis—By analyzing job postings, AI can track which industries are growing and which skills are becoming more valuable.
• Alumni success mapping—AI can map career trajectories of alumni to help students understand potential career paths based on their major and experiences.
• Real-time salary insights—AI can analyze salary data from graduates to set realistic expectations for students entering the workforce.

Besides data protection, another area that career centers need to focus on when using AI to analyze data is ensuring the accuracy of the results it yields. After all, technology is not flawless. 

To ensure accuracy, Schifeling recommends that career centers cross-check AI findings by comparing them with human career advisers’ expertise; regularly update AI models to ensure the AI is trained on current job market trends, not on outdated data; and seek student feedback to validate AI-powered career advice.

“By keeping security and accuracy top of mind, career centers can use AI responsibly while maximizing its potential to help students succeed,” Schifeling says.