Kaufland launches Kari Era – an AI avatar for youth career guidance

Kaufland Romania launches Kari Eraa career guidance AI avatar dedicated to those just starting out, available via direct chat on WhatsApp, developed in partnership with Digital Nation, in a context where the start of a career is marked by uncertainty for many young people.

The launch event took place on April 29, at the Halo Events Center in Bucharest and brought together students, media, special guests, as well as company representatives, in an interactive format, built around the real challenges of young people at the beginning of their careers. The program included interventions from the Kaufland Romania team and partners involved in the development of the project, as well as artistic and interactive moments, during which the participants could discover and directly test how the Kari avatar works.

The project starts from a reality confirmed even by young people, following a dedicated study: the beginning of a career is increasingly difficult in a labor market undergoing continuous transformation. Many face a gap between their academic training and the actual demands of employers, changing recruitment processes and the difficulty of identifying opportunities that truly suit them, both in terms of interests and skills.

In response to these challenges, Kaufland Romania developed Kari Era, an AI avatar that provides concrete guidance for making informed career decisions. The company thus assumes an active role as an employer and partner in the professional guidance process.

“The data from our study shows that young people are ready to enter the labor market, but they need more clarity to make informed choices from the start. For us, this meant rethinking how we provide support: both through available roles and through a tool that can concretely answer the questions young people have at every stage, from 'what's right for me?' to “what are the next steps?”. Through Kari Era, we set out to bring this type of guidance closer, in an accessible format, tailored to the way young people interact today and providing them with relevant, real-time answers. We want this initiative to contribute to better informed decisions and a clearer career start, based on well-founded choices“, he declares Estera Anghelescu, Recruitment and Employer Branding Director, Kaufland Romania.

According to the data, starting a career remains a process marked by uncertainty and lack of direction for many young people. Only 37% say they feel comfortable looking for a job, while nearly 4 in 10 feel insecure about the process. The main barrier is the lack of experience, mentioned by 63% of respondents, followed by the perception that education is not sufficiently aligned with the current requirements of the labor market (50%).

At the same time, the difficulty is not only about opportunities, but also about clarity: almost a third of 18-19-year-olds say they don't know where to start, and many feel a lack of relevant information and concrete steps to follow. In this context, more and more are turning to digital solutions: 21% already use AI-based tools for career guidance, but young people still need answers relevant to their situation and clear guidance on what to do next.

On the other hand, the study also indicates a clear openness to innovative solutions: 71% of respondents consider the Kari Era concept innovative, and 63% say they would use such a mentor in their professional career, which confirms the real need for relevant digital tools adapted to the current labor market context.

Dialogue-based professional guidance and personalized recommendations

Unlike classic job search tools, Kari does not function as a recruitment platform or a tool that provides standard answers, but as a digital mentor specialized in professional guidance for young people. Kari asks the right questions to understand each user's profile, motivations and context, and only then provides personalized and actionable recommendations.

Through natural and accessible conversations, Kari offers support in the process of making professional decisions:

• carry out a mini-career diagnosis

• provides detailed feedback on CVs

• proposes roles suitable to the individual profile

• identify skill gaps and recommend relevant courses or resources

• offers updated perspectives on the labor market in Romania

• recommends real opportunities within Kaufland

According to the iZi Data study, young people want from an AI mentor information about salaries and the labor market (92%), suitable job recommendations (91%) and personalized feedback on their CV (84%), but also a friendly and empathetic tone (82%). Kari responds to these expectations with a humane approach, adapted to each person.

The project was developed in partnership with Digital Nation, an organization specialized in digital education and the integration of technology in learning and professional development processes.

“For us, the real utility of technology means concrete impact in people's lives. Kari Era is not just an AI experiment, but a tool built to help young people find their direction more easily. A concrete example is that of a 22-year-old student who taught piano to children on a voluntary basis, without considering this experience to matter professionally. After talking with Kari, she discovered that skills such as patience, lesson structure or one-to-one communication are relevant to employers. After two weeks, he told us: “I didn't know what we did could matter so much.”. Kari helps you see what you already have and build your next steps more clearly. And Kaufland had the courage to build a tool that puts young people first, not recruitment. It is the first large employer in Europe to take this step.”he declares Paul Apostol, founder of Digital Nation.

Kari, available in universities and on WhatsApp

Kari is available via WhatsApp in a simple and direct interaction. To bring the experience closer to students, Kaufland has also integrated the avatar in digital booths located in universities in the main university centers: Bucharest, Iasi, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Sibiu, Alba Iulia and Craiova.

Students can start the conversation in the booth and continue it later on their own phone, receiving concrete recommendations for their next career steps.

Currently, the majority of young people rely on job platforms (76%) for career guidance, while only 21% use AI-based tools, which highlights the high development potential for digital solutions like Kari Era, capable of providing constant support, adapted to each person, easy to access and use at any time.

By launching Kari Era, Kaufland Romania strengthens its positioning as an employer oriented towards innovation and professional education. The initiative reflects how technology can be used responsibly to reduce uncertainty and make starting a career a clearer and more structured process.

Kari Era is available to anyone who wants more clarity in their career and decision-making, and the conversation can be started anytime on WhatsApp via the dedicated link digitalnation.ro/chat-with-kari or using the phone number +1 555 838 6344.

iZi Data study methodology

The launch was supported by a study conducted on a sample of 1,967 respondents aged 18-27 together with iZi Data, which shows that the beginning of a career remains one of the most difficult stages in the professional journey. Collection period: December 15, 2025 – January 20, 2026.