AI Career Coaches Gain Popularity as Workers Seek Customized Professional Guidance

When communications professional Suzanne Selkow decided to launch her own consulting practice, she faced a familiar challenge: the absence of colleagues to bounce ideas off. Known for her tendency to experience “decision paralysis,” Selkow sought an external perspective to guide her through the early stages of her business. Her solution? An AI career coach powered by Anthropic’s Claude.

“I figured that was actually a practical use case for an LLM—to be able to take some of those bigger-picture ideas that I had workshopped with a human coach, and turn it into a week-by-week [business] plan,” she says. Now months into her solo venture, Selkow, 36, continues to rely on her AI mentor for mentorship-style tasks, such as refining her tone when communicating with clients.

AI’s role as a career advisor is expanding rapidly. According to 2025 research from The Conference Board, a business-focused think tank, 96% of workers felt AI provided them with “customized” coaching, while 91% of those who used AI for career guidance said they would do so again. The trend is not limited to junior employees; senior professionals are also observing its growing prevalence among younger colleagues.

“Junior folks are using AI for career questions very often; I’d say every day,” says Jasmine Singh, general counsel at the legal tech company Ironclad. “Whether they would have turned to more senior folks for those questions or not . . . is the debatable part.”

The rise of AI as a career coach contrasts with widespread concerns about AI replacing human jobs. Yet even as workers increasingly turn to AI for professional advice, they emphasize that the technology serves as a supplement—not a replacement—for human mentorship. Users describe AI as a tool that fills gaps human mentors may overlook or avoid.

How Selkow’s AI Career Coach Works

Selkow’s AI mentor was created using a detailed prompt to ensure it aligned with her needs. She instructed the model:

“You are my business coach. I’m launching a strategic communications advisory business. Here’s my website, which has details on the services that I offer . . . the type of industries that I work in. I need a thought partner to ask questions to help me figure out how to build and scale this business. I need both practical and strategic advice. I’m starting at square one . . . I need you to be firm but supportive, and don’t shy away from telling the hard truths.”

This approach was critical to avoiding the tendency of large language models to provide empty praise. Selkow feared that excessive encouragement could reinforce poor decision-making. Beyond strategic planning, she uses her AI coach to refine follow-up strategies for business leads and has even uploaded client call recordings to receive feedback on her communication style.

AI as a Supplement to Human Mentorship

Despite the growing reliance on AI, workers insist the technology enhances—not replaces—human mentorship. The AI serves as a low-stakes sounding board for routine questions, freeing up human mentors for deeper, relationship-driven guidance. For Selkow, the AI provides a consistent, unbiased perspective that complements her human interactions.

As AI continues to evolve, its role in career development is likely to expand. However, the human element of mentorship remains irreplaceable, particularly for complex interpersonal and strategic challenges. The future of professional growth may lie in the balance between AI efficiency and human insight.