Acceptance of AI Chatbots Among College Students- Implications for Autonomous Learning in the Digital Age

The digital age has witnessed a rapidly evolving educational landscape, with AI chatbots emerging as powerful tools supporting autonomous learning. This study investigates the acceptance level of AI chatbots among college students and evaluates the influence of factors such as gender, age, education level, learning styles, and major disciplines on students’ receptiveness to AI chatbots. Employing a quantitative research design, a combination of stratified and convenience sampling was used to select a sample of 200 students from various colleges in Jharkhand, India, representing diverse courses and academic levels. Results revealed over 72% acceptance of AI tools among college students for self-learning. Additionally, the study failed to find any significant differences among demographic groups, suggesting that students across backgrounds are equally open to using AI chatbots for learning. This study underscores the growing significance of AI in Education 4.0 era, which promises individualised educational experiences, enhances digital literacy, and prepares learners for future job demands. However, being limited to basic inferential statistics and one Indian state, future research should further explore the factors driving the acceptance of AI chatbots among college learners across the country.