Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed many industries, especially higher education. It lets students get information quickly, but is this change good or bad?
A survey of students worldwide showed many use AI to help with their studies, but some worry it might affect their future jobs. One student told the BBC that AI has made her studies better and boosted her confidence in her work.
Experts have mixed opinions about AI's effects on education. Sunjaya Phillips, a 22-year-old student from Worcestershire studying marketing at Oxford Brookes University, uses AI with her teachers' approval to come up with ideas and plan essays. She’s currently on a work placement and says AI gives her reassurance and helps her feel more confident.
“In my second year, AI became really popular, especially for helping with schoolwork,” she said. “At my university, we talk openly about how to use AI to organize assignments or spark creative ideas. Sometimes, thinking of ideas can take all day, but AI can give you suggestions in just 30 minutes. It’s really changed how I study.”
Other students have admitted to using AI to cheat, with one saying she regretted it. Dr. Charlie Simpson, who studies AI in education and teaches sport and exercise science at Oxford Brookes, said AI is now part of almost every aspect of higher education.
“When used properly, AI helps students focus on important parts of learning and grow as individuals,” he said. “But if students rely on AI to do their work for them just to get a degree, it’s not helpful.”
A study by Yugo, a student housing company, found that 44% of UK students are excited about AI, and many use it for their studies. Professor Keiichi Nakata from Henley Business School, part of the University of Reading, said AI has both good and bad sides.
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“It’s good because students have new tools to help them when used responsibly,” he said. “But if they use AI to skip learning or do their work for them, they won’t gain the knowledge and skills they need.”
Dr. Simpson believes that if universities use AI well, future graduates could be much more skilled than those in the past. “Degrees will still be hard to earn, but graduates will have better abilities, so the standards for degrees need to rise too,” he said.
The Yugo study, which included 7,274 students from Europe, the US, and Australia, found that 78% of UK students worry about job losses because of AI. Another study from Henley Business School showed UK workers feel both hopeful and overwhelmed by AI.
Ms. Phillips isn’t worried about AI taking jobs. She sees it as a helpful tool. “People need to change how they view AI and use it to help them, not see it as something that will replace them,” she said.
Professor Nakata believes that knowing how to use AI well will soon be a skill employers expect, just like computer skills. “This will depend on the industry and job, but using AI tools properly to work better should help students’ careers,” he said.