Students are turning to AI chatbots instead of humans for college counseling

Chinese students are turning to AI chatbots for university and major advice instead of paid human consultants.

Tools from major tech firms like Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and Baidu personalize recommendations using scores, interests, budgets, and other inputs.

The bots rank choices as reach, safety, and backup options, reshaping how students prepare for Gaokao and admissions.

Consultants are responding by using AI for research while keeping human services for emotional and family support.

Experts warn the chatbots can still make mistakes and miss important personal context.