With the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology, the education work of colleges and universities is facing new opportunities for transformation and upgrading. As an important position for talent training, applied universities need to more effectively integrate new technologies into the education model to improve the quality of education. This paper takes applied universities as the research object, analyzes the application of artificial intelligence in education work, and explores its practical paths in student management, career guidance, psychological services and ability training. Through investigation and case analysis, it proposes to build a new education model of "AI course embedding + intelligent management tools + data-driven evaluation". The study shows that the introduction of artificial intelligence not only improves the work efficiency of counselors and teachers, but also promotes the coordinated improvement of students' digital literacy, practical ability and independent development. This study can provide a practical reference for colleges and universities to promote the digital transformation of education and innovation of education mechanisms.