Cheating in the second year of generative AI chatbots: a follow-up study on high school student cheating behaviors

Abstract This study examines the evolving relationship between AI chatbots and academic integrity and students’ AI chatbot usage in high schools one and a half years after the release of ChatGPT. Through a comprehensive survey of students across six schools (N = 4,354) in the United States, we investigated students' self-reported cheating behaviors, patterns of AI use across different school-related tasks, and student perspectives on appropriate AI use in academic settings. Our findings revealed that overall cheating rates remain stable at 72.06%, consistent with historical baselines and prior studies, suggesting that AI availability has not changed overall cheating prevalence in high school. Additionally, more students reported using AI chatbots for support tasks like concept explanation and idea generation. Regarding students' reported preferences for allowing AI chatbots for school-related tasks, at this point, they still strongly supported using AI for conceptual understanding and brainstorming, and they maintained clear boundaries against using it for completing entire assignments. These findings suggest that while AI’s prevalence has not altered the patterns of academic integrity at schools, students' evolving perspectives on appropriate AI use provide valuable insights for schools and administrators integrating AI into traditional school settings.