A holistic exploration of student attitudes toward AI use in higher education: an international comparison

This study investigates higher education students’ perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and their use in learning and academic contexts. As AI increasingly influences higher education, understanding students’ attitudes and ethical awareness is essential. The research involved 920 students from higher education institutions in Czechia (CZ), Turkey (TR), and Slovakia (SK), allowing for a cross-national comparison of attitudes, perceived benefits and challenges, and ethical considerations. A mixed-methods design was applied, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative responses, analyzed using descriptive and thematic approaches. Results indicate that most students have used AI technologies, more frequently in CZ and SK than in TR. The most common use was to enhance general understanding of academic topics. Students identified accessibility as the main benefit of AI, while key concerns included AI bias in CZ and AI misuse in TR and SK. Most participants perceived limited ethical awareness among students and emphasized the need for institutional guidelines to promote responsible AI use. Students also viewed teachers as moderately or less willing to integrate AI into teaching and learning.