The full impact of AI on student search is hidden in most reporting
According to Prospects’ Early Careers Survey 2026, there’s been a sharp increase in the number of prospective postgraduates using “AI tools” to research institutions.
AI tool use has almost doubled in a year, the sharpest increase of any channel.
But look what’s above it:
Google and other search engines (59%)
University comparison sites (41%)
Social media and forums (28%)
Tell me, when’s the last time you went to Google and didn’t get an AI answer?
Saw a university comparison site that didn’t have a bot, AI assistant or was working on one?
This stuff’s in plain sight.
It’s baked in.
If a new advisor entered the room and was guiding 25% of students, you’d pay attention. And if that same advisor is influencing several other major sources, you’d want to understand:
The kind of questions students were asking
How the advisor was answering
How to influence them
It’s no different for AI.
For study-related searches, 16% of prospective students already trust this technology’s opinion more than their parents’.
Ensure you’re getting the full picture. Otherwise, changes to discovery might arrive a lot sooner than you expect.
