AI and Career Awareness Survey Results: Embracing a New Era of Career Development

Introduction

The Protean Career Association, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is a non-profit organization focused on fostering better relationships between individuals and organizations while supporting proactive career development. Recently, they conducted the 'AI x Career Awareness Survey' ahead of the upcoming 'Protean Forum 2025', which is scheduled for August 30, 2025. This survey has yielded critical insights into how AI is shaping career perspectives.

Key Findings

The survey revealed remarkably high levels of career consciousness, with 83% of respondents demonstrating a strong sense of career autonomy. In addition, 87.1% viewed generative AI as a growth opportunity rather than a hindrance. These results prompted the association to declare the onset of a new phase in career development termed the 'Protean 2.0 Era'.

Trends in Next-Gen Career Development

Four pivotal trends emerged from the survey results:

1. Collaboration Between Generative AI and Experts

An impressive 87.1% of participants expressed positive opinions about generative AI, underscoring its potential as a tool for skill enhancement and promoting creative work. Notably, 54.1% recognized it as an opportunity for new skill acquisition, while 32.9% anticipated it would enhance creativity in their tasks.

2. Support Networks Beyond Organizational Borders

Interestingly, 64.2% of respondents favored external specialists (like career coaches) for career consulting. This indicates a strong demand for impartial support mechanisms, highlighting a significant gap from the current situation, where only about 18% reported utilizing such external expertise.

3. Shift to Dialogical and Inquisitive Support Models

When it comes to support from generative AI, participants favored dialogue-driven approaches, prioritizing introspection over mere information. Around 39.8% chose engaging in questioning to clarify their thoughts, while 30.3% preferred informal discussions, cumulatively totaling 70.1%.

4. Respect for Self-Determination in Support

The survey indicated that the most critical element in career discussions was practical advice, acknowledged by 29.9% of respondents. Moreover, in open-ended responses, there was a consistent emphasis on the importance of self-determination, echoing the sentiment that individuals should have the autonomy to direct their careers.

Conclusion and Future Perspectives

The findings underscore that career development is moving into the ‘Protean 2.0 Era’, where individual autonomy is paramount, and the collaboration between human expertise and generative AI is integral for success.

The Protean Career Association advocates for establishing hybrid models of support that combine objective guidance from experts with the dialogic potential of AI, essential for both personal and organizational growth.

Going forward, they aim to contribute to a society where organizations and individuals collaboratively enhance career development.

Accessing the Survey

For details on the survey data, you can download the full report from the following URL: Protean Career Survey.

About the Association

Founded in March 2020, the Protean Career Association specializes in career dialogue-driven organizational development support and individualized career assistance. The organization is helmed by co-leaders Tanaka Kensuke, a Professor at Hosei University, and Ariyama Toru, CEO of 4designs Inc.