More than four out of every five students admit to using AI for their studies, in new research which confirms the fears (and some dreams) of higher education leaders and regulators across the country.
The AI in Higher Education: Student Perspectives study found that 71% of Australian students who participated in the study believe that AI increases cheating.
Even more damning, perhaps reflecting the scramble to respond to the proliferation and evolution of generative AI platforms, 91% of students said they were worried about breaking uni rules in relation to AI. Just 40% admitted to using AI to cheat.
The results, presented last week by UQ’s Acting PVC (Teaching and Learning Professor Kelly Matthews, UTS Professor Simon Buckingham Shum, provide fascinating insights from a new treasure-trove of data revealing the extent of student use of generative AI.
The pair are part of a new collective of 18 researchers from UQ, Deakin, Monash and UTS, who have coalesced this year to look at student attitudes to and use of AI, with the aim of helping the sector make strategic decisions to regulate and cultivate effective and ethical use of generative AI platforms as they evolve.
Just 27% of students trusted what AI generates, while 49% don’t trust the output (and the remainder presumably are a bit bewildered like the rest of us).
The study also found that 56% of students are sceptical about AI – but the majority are also optimistic about its potential.
The study is the largest survey of Australian university students conducted on AI usage has found that 83% are using it for their studies, with 44% using generative AI platforms daily.
However, the majority feel that universities are letting them down in teaching how to use AI. Just 23% of students said that universities provided them with enough guidance to use AI effectively in their future profession and 32% said they had enough guidance to use AI effectively now in their studies.
The survey of more than 8,000 students from the four participating unis found that:
- 79% use AI to answer their questions
- 68% use AI to create written text they can use
- 51% use AI to analyse documents or data
- 38% use AI to create images or other visual media
- 34% use AI to create code or other technical outputs
The project promises a range of valuable insights into the use of AI and a much stronger evidence base to help inform policy and strategy development.
