Students Perception of Using AI Tools as a Research Work or Course Work Assistant

With emphasis on researchers and course participants, this research fills a significant gap in the literature by thoroughly analyzing the cohabitation and interaction of traditional and AI-driven tools in response to the changing information retrieval scenario. The purpose of the study is to investigate how people think about and use ChatGPT and Google in learning environments. Information retrieval has been revolutionized by AI technologies, most notably ChatGPT, which provides academics and students with dynamic platforms for ideation, drafting, and generating code samples. The study, which used an online poll to collect data, shows that 60.87% of researchers use ChatGPT daily, casting doubt on the idea that scholarly research is only driven by AI technologies. Even with ChatGPT's success, Google is still an essential tool for academics. Participants in the course demonstrate a strong reliance on both tools; 40 of them reported utilizing ChatGPT daily. ChatGPT is helpful for homework, but there are drawbacks, particularly when it comes to solving mathematical issues. The main source for early learning is still Google Search. This study closes a significant knowledge gap on the coexistence of AI tools and conventional search engines by offering insightful information on a variety of tool preferences, daily usage patterns, and efficacy perceptions. The study highlights the subjectivity of user preferences while highlighting how important tool usability is to tool adoption.