The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Academic Writing: Between Scientific Misconduct and Cognitive Influence

Research highlighting the convergence between cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence has had a significant impact on the field of education. These two disciplines are viewed as complementary and capable of contributing to the development of artificial intelligence that aligns with human cognitive functions. However, many reflections tend to focus on the potential impact of the continuous use of this technological advancement by students on their cognitive functions during the learning process. The present study also addresses this issue and aims to identify the perceptions of university students enrolled in open-access institutions regarding the influence of AI usage on their cognitive functions, particularly memory and attentional processes. To address this question, we adopted a quantitative approach based on the administration of a questionnaire to students at Mohammed Premier University in Morocco. The objective is to identify the various perceptions that university students have concerning the use of AI in learning. The results show that students believe the use of AI to improve the quality of academic writing is far from constituting scientific misconduct. Moreover, these same users are aware of the impact that AI has on their cognitive abilities, particularly cognitive effort. However, this awareness has not prevented them from using it.