AI chatbots are the technology of the moment. From the risk of them taking our jobs to their frequently questionable responses, large language models like ChatGPT have generated quite a stir — as well as a considerable amount of panic.

One of the debates around ChatGPT and other AI tools concerns their use in schools and colleges. Some schools have flat-out banned ChatGPT over plagiarism and misinformation worries, while other teachers report that the tool is helpful for students.

But what do the students themselves think? BestColleges surveyed 1,000 undergrads and graduate students on whether they use AI chatbots to do schoolwork, whether they consider that cheating and how their schools have responded to the new tech's emergence.

Key Findings:

• As many as 43 percent of college students have used ChatGPT or a similar tool. Fifty percent of those (and 22 percent of the students surveyed overall) report having used AI to help with assignments or exams.

• Despite this, just over half of the students surveyed — 51 percent — believe using AI to help with assignments or exams constitutes cheating or plagiarism.

• The majority of students (57 percent) say they don't plan to use or continue using tools like ChatGPT to do schoolwork.

• Instructors, course materials or school honor codes have explicitly banned AI chatbots for 31 percent of students, while 60 percent of respondents say their instructors or schools have never discussed using these tools ethically or responsibly.

Via BestColleges.

[Image credit: Rolf van Root]