Americans are using AI for career changes, perfect resumes that everyone else can also make

One in three Americans has used AI tools like ChatGPT to help with career changes, according to a new study from Southeastern Oklahoma University based on a survey of 1,000 Americans. The findings reveal AI’s growing influence in the job market at a time when over half of workers are actively considering career transitions, though trust in AI-generated advice remains limited compared to human guidance.

What you should know: The survey reveals widespread adoption of AI for career planning across different generations and use cases.

• Gen Z leads the charge with 57% considering job changes, followed by millennials (55%), Gen X (50%), and baby boomers (12%).
• Among those using AI for career assistance, 47% research new job opportunities including higher-paying roles, while 43% use it to draft resumes and cover letters.
• Nearly one in five respondents (18%) said AI suggested an entirely new career path they hadn’t previously considered.

The trust gap: Despite widespread usage, Americans remain skeptical about AI’s career advice compared to human expertise.

• A significant majority (60%) said they’d still trust a human career adviser more than AI, while only 7% prefer AI guidance.
• However, 17% admitted they’ve followed AI career advice even when it contradicted recommendations from human counselors.
• This mirrors broader skepticism about AI-generated information, similar to recent findings about low trust in Google’s AI Overviews feature.

Industry focus: Workers are primarily exploring opportunities in technology, healthcare, and finance sectors when seeking career changes.

The bigger picture: This shift occurs against a backdrop of significant labor market disruption driven by AI automation itself.

• Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic (an AI safety company), has predicted AI will eliminate half of all white-collar jobs within five years.
• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently acknowledged that AI-enabled automation will replace some human workers while making other jobs “more interesting” and creating new roles.
• Tech companies are hiring fewer recent computer science graduates as AI tools handle routine tasks previously assigned to junior employees.

Why this matters: The study highlights a paradox where workers increasingly rely on AI tools to navigate a job market that AI itself is fundamentally reshaping, revealing both the technology’s utility and the uncertainty it creates for career planning.