AI4CAREER: Responsible AI for STEM Career Development at Scale in K-16 Education

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and governance of responsible AI tools to support STEM career exploration and readiness across K-16 education, emphasizing equity, developmental alignment, and ethical considerations.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for responsible AI design and governance tailored for STEM career development in K-16 settings, addressing ethical, developmental, and equity challenges.

Findings

Identified key themes for responsible AI in STEM career development.

Outlined design tensions and governance principles for AI tools.

Highlighted research gaps and future directions in responsible AI use.

Abstract

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping how students imagine, explore, and prepare for STEM careers across K-16 education. As AI systems increasingly influence feedback, advising, and access to information about opportunities, they are becoming part of the developmental infrastructure that shapes career identity formation and readiness. Yet uncertainty remains about how AI-supported career exploration tools should be designed, governed, and evaluated at scale, particularly across developmental stages and institutional contexts. This half-day workshop convenes researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers to examine responsible AI for STEM career development. We focus on four themes: (1) how AI reshapes definitions and assessment of STEM career readiness; (2) appropriate roles and boundaries for AI in career decision-making; (3) developmental alignment of AI supports across the K-16 continuum; and (4) equity-related design considerations that prevent the reproduction of structural disparities. Through lightning talks, structured group activities, and cross-sector dialogue, participants will surface design tensions, articulate governance principles, and identify research gaps. The workshop aims to advance shared language and actionable frameworks for responsible, developmentally grounded AI use in STEM career learning at scale.