‘Learning to use AI to help us but not to do it for us’: understanding UK undergraduate students’ use of GenAI

This paper explores undergraduate students’ views on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and some characteristics of students who are more likely to use GenAI. We report results from a mixed-methods study. The quantitative study explored GenAI use, ‘addiction’, and attitudes in a sample of 250 UK undergraduate students. We found that younger students were more likely to use GenAI for their coursework than older students, and male students reported higher degrees of GenAI familiarity than female students. Participants with higher self-esteem were more likely to report using GenAI for their assignments, and students who were more confident in their ability to achieve higher grades also reported being more familiar with GenAI. Students with higher working memory ability reported higher GenAI familiarity. The qualitative study reported students’ positive views and concerns about ethics and the stigma associated with using such tools. We conclude the study with key implications, highlighting areas for consideration.