Would you feel comfortable speaking to a virtual counsellor?
The rise of virtual counselling. Source: Helena Lopes/Unsplash

As an integral part of the future education sector, virtual counsellors will soon be implemented, along with a range of other AI learning mechanisms.

According to Tech Wire Asia (TWA), “Counselling in future will be carried out via various futuristic virtual interactive tools, such as voice calls, wearables, augmented reality and virtual reality to guide students through their education process.

“The AI-driven virtual counsellors will advise students on from course selection, lesson personalisations, degree completion to career planning based on in-depth data analysis and advanced algorithms, for each unique student, moving away from the current one size fits all education syllabi.”

This idea may sound slightly far-fetched, yet with the world’s continuous technological advancement, it’s certainly not impossible.

As virtual reality is already improving global areas such as healthcare, it’s only natural for education to be next in line.

What are the advantages of virtual counselling?

An AI-driven academic advisor would promote the personalisation of a university experience.

By tailoring the course to suit learners’ individual needs and priorities, this digital tool can direct its user towards an appropriate academic direction without the need for university appointments or face-to-face meetings.

Decoding your data, the virtual counsellor may have the opportunity to create a clearer picture of what your future looks like at a specific school or college.

All students will need to do is tap in their personal details, aspirations and passions and the virtual advisor will produce the name of their most suited study destination and institution.

A virtual sorting hat for your academic studies. Source: Giphy

It will also help to diminish generalisation, ensuring each learner is valued as independent intellectuals with unique ambitions.

Additionally, as TWA expliains, “These virtual counsellors will free up the workload of human counsellors so that they focus [on] more meaningful and strategic work functions.”

This will minimise stress for real-life counsellors and free up their time to assist students in other matters, once again enhancing the process of personalisation.

What are the disadvantages of virtual counselling?

Many may strive against the rise of virtual counselling and its AI-driven academic advisors.

The first disadvantage would be the threat of human jobs being taken over by robots. Replacing personable professionals with rigid technological beings dehumanises the process of finding your course and future school.

Another potential throwback would be the dependence we have on technology.

By handing over our future plans to robotic beings, we may be programming our futures instead of allowing them to naturally progress.

But if you had the choice, would you choose to seal your study deal with a virtual counsellor or stick to traditional face-to-face human interaction?

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