Ethics of AI-Based Career Guidance Tools

Published Paper PDF: View PDF

Rupal Singh

Independent Researcher

Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract
The rapid proliferation of AI-based career guidance tools has revolutionized how individuals navigate education and career pathways, offering tailored recommendations that promise to enhance decision-making efficacy. However, this transformation raises profound ethical questions concerning fairness, transparency, privacy, and accountability. This study undertakes an extensive, mixed‑methods investigation into the ethical landscape of AI-driven career counseling platforms, integrating quantitative survey data from 300 recent users, qualitative insights from fifteen domain experts, and algorithmic audits of two leading systems. The objectives are to delineate core ethical risks, examine end-user perceptions, and formulate actionable best practices for responsible development and deployment. Findings reveal that while users appreciate the personalized nature of AI recommendations, significant concerns persist regarding opaque reasoning processes, potential bias against underrepresented demographics, and insufficient data governance safeguards. Expert stakeholders advocate for human‑in‑the‑loop frameworks, robust bias mitigation strategies, and enforceable regulatory standards. The algorithmic audit exposes measurable disparities in role suggestions across demographic profiles, underscoring the urgent need for ongoing fairness assessments. Drawing on these results, we synthesize a comprehensive ethical framework that addresses technical, organizational, and policy dimensions, aiming to guide developers, career practitioners, and regulators toward systems that empower users equitably. This framework emphasizes bias-aware model design, interpretable AI interfaces, privacy‑by‑design principles, and transparent accountability mechanisms, setting the stage for future research and standard-setting initiatives in the evolving domain of AI‑based career guidance.

Keywords
AI-Based Career Guidance, Ethics, Fairness, Transparency, Privacy, Accountability

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