Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- According toU.K.The Guardian reports today that a survey of 1,000 students shows that the use of generative AI has "exploded" in the last 12 months. Nearly 90% (88%) of students in the 2025 survey said they would use a tool like ChatGPT in their assessments, up from 53% last year.
According to a report released by the UK's Higher Education Policy Institute and digital e-textbook company Kortext, the use of any AI Percentage of students with toolsThe surge from 66% in 2024 to 92% in 2025This means that only 8% students are not using AI.
Report author Josh Freeman says it's almost unheard of for student behavior to change so drastically in just 12 months, warning, "UniversityBe warned: generative AI is alreadyLong-standing trends. "
"These issues cannot be solved by a single institution alone, and best practices should be shared between universities. Ultimately, AI tools should be used to facilitate learning, not hinder it."
The students said they used generative AI toExplaining concepts, summarizing articles and presenting research ideas, about one-fifth (18%) of students admitted that they took AI-generated textDirect reference to the assignmentmiddle.
1AI learned from the report that students believe that AI saves time (51%) and improves quality of operations (50%)But the main reason they don't want to use AI is because they're worried about it. But the main reason they don't want to use AI is the fear ofAlleged academic misconductAnd the fear of gettingResults of error or bias.
One student told the researchers, I like using AI, it makes it easier for me to do my homework; but I alsoWorried about getting caught..
Women are more worried about these issues than men, who are more accepting of AI. Additionally, affluent students and those taking science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses have higher rates of AI use.
The report notes that among students from the most affluent backgrounds, theHalf use generative AI to summarize articles, compared to just 44% among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. the report concludes, "the digital divide we find in 2024 appears to be widening further."
The majority of students felt that their university had effectively addressed academic integrity issues, 80% felt that the university's policies were clear, and 76% felt that the university was able to detect the use of AI in assessments. However, only one-third (36%) of the students received university-provided training in AI skills.
"Some schools are ambiguous about this," said one student, "AI isn't banned, but it's not encouraged either; it's academic misconduct if it's used, but lecturers tell us thatThey're using it, too.. The message being sent is very confusing."
