The Proliferation of AI among College Students: A Replication and 2-Year Follow-Up

Background The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted most aspects of life and sparked debate over its responsible use. Objective As higher education grapples with how to leverage AI's benefits while accounting for its potential detriments, it is necessary to examine how undergraduates use and perceive AI. Method A replication, following the same methodology as Golding et al., examined how college students’ use and perceptions of AI differ from those of a comparable cohort 2 years ago. Students were from the same five universities and were predominantly women, White, Hispanic, or Black. Results Familiarity and prevalence of AI use were higher, and perceptions of cheating were lower. Open-ended data on motivations for (not) using AI and perceptions of (not) cheating suggested that students conceptualize AI through a nuanced lens. Conclusions The use of AI has grown substantially. Many students view AI as an instructional aid to guide their learning and emphasize the importance of how AI is used when determining whether it qualifies as cheating. Teaching Implications Students’ largely positive perceptions of AI suggest that AI's use is not slowing. Educators face the challenge of how best to leverage AI to enhance learning while not facilitating cheating or overreliance.