Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs?

This mixed methods study explores 315 distance learning students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence digital assistants (AIDAs) over an 11-month period in three distinct studies. The research investigates student perspectives on both a publicly available AI digital assistant (p-AIDA), such as ChatGPT, and a potential institutionally developed AI digital assistant (i-AIDA). Findings indicate that students highly valued 24/7 immediate academic feedback and the personalisation of the i-AIDA, and these perspectives remained largely stable across the three studies. However, concerns about academic integrity, data privacy, and ethical implications persisted across the studies. A cluster analysis identified three distinct student groups of highly critical, supportive, and keenly supportive learners, with key differences based on prior GenAI experience, educational background, and age. This study underscores both the potential and challenges of developing institutional AI solutions to enhance student learning while addressing privacy and ethical concerns.