College students’ consciousness of the impact of artificial intelligence influences their job-seeking behavior

We investigated how students’ consciousness of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) influences their job-seeking behavior, with employment pressure as a mediator and future work self-clarity as a moderator. We conducted a survey with 1,112 Chinese college students to assess their consciousness of the impact of AI on their job-seeking behavior, perception of employment pressure, and future job self-clarity. Results showed that AI consciousness positively predicted job-seeking behavior, with employment pressure partially mediating this association. Further, future work self-clarity moderated the mediating effect of employment pressure. These findings highlight the complex psychological factors associated with job-seeking behavior and suggest that AI consciousness is an important factor related to students’ career development. This study provides insights for guiding students to cope with consciousness of the impact of AI in regard to their future career, and for staff at universities to effect improvement in job-seeking support for students.