Students are switching to AI for search. Are you ready?

What this episode covers

Today’s students are moving away from scrolling through pages of search results and are instead heading straight to generative AI for answers. Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are no longer just ‘homework helpers’: they are becoming the primary ‘early-stage advisors’ for a new generation of applicants. Recent data shows that 96% of students using AI for their university search find the information just as good - if not better - than traditional sources. This shift is happening fast, and it’s forcing our industry to rethink the entire recruitment funnel. In this episode, we’re exploring what this digital evolution means for the future of student advisory. Most importantly, we ask: as AI takes over the "information gathering" phase, what does this mean for the human experts - the agencies and recruitment professionals - who have traditionally been guiding these students? We will discuss: - The "96% endorsement": Why students are finding AI tools more helpful than official institutional websites. - Regional adoption trends: The rapid uptake in markets like South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. - Strategic research: How students use AI for high-stakes decisions regarding rankings, career outcomes, and student life. - The evolving human role: Moving from "fact-reciter" to providing the empathy and trust that AI cannot replicate. - Optimisation strategies: How institutions can ensure they are visible and accurately represented within Large Language Models (LLMs).

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