THE IMPACT
Artificial intelligence tools have quickly reshaped daily life, especially in education. Since their rise in 2022, platforms like ChatGPT have changed the way students learn, think and communicate.
As these tools continue to evolve, questions rise about whether they help or hurt academic growth. According to a national survey by BestColleges, 56% of U.S. college students report using AI tools in their coursework. This shows that more than half of students are incorporating this technology into their academic work.
At larger universities like Arizona State University, that could mean tens of thousands of students are engaging with AI on a regular basis. While AI can make learning more efficient and provide new opportunities for creativity, educators worry it may also impact critical thinking, writing skills and long-term retention of knowledge.
The Future of Careers
A lot of concerns also focus on future doctors and engineers, with people wondering what happens if they depend too much on AI and don’t build those critical thinking skills themselves.
Jenna Lazzara, a pre-med student at Arizona State University, said she’s concerned about how many future doctors she sees relying on AI.
According to the American Medical Association, it was reported that 66% of United States Physicians were reported to be using some sort of form of Health AI.
"It worries me seeing people around me using AI. Like these are our future doctors," Lazzara said. "What happens when they’re in surgery one day and don’t remember what organ they’re looking at? Are they going to stop halfway through and ask ChatGPT? There's no way."
Patrick Phelan, Associate Dean and Professor at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, said that AI allows professors to develop problems for their students to solve, but there comes a challenge with it as well.
“It enables the teaching side to develop these kinds of newer and more realistic problems for the students to solve,” Phelan said. “I think that our real challenge as educators is how do we enable their use of these powerful tools, but at the same time develop that insight.”
As AI usage becomes more common, ASU and other universities are now working to determine how it can be used responsibly while still holding students to academic standards.
ASU has introduced guidelines that are meant to show students how to use AI and guide them to use it as a learning tool rather than an easy way out.
These guidelines consist of using AI only when instructed to by a professor, stating when AI assists with assignments and following academic integrity rules that prohibit submitting AI-generated work as your own.
Phelan said AI is unlikely to disappear from higher education, but it is going to require new approaches from both professors and students.
“AI is already here,” Phelan said. “The question isn’t whether we use it or not, but how we integrate it in a way that produces thoughtful and knowledgeable graduates.”
Outside Of The Classroom
Even outside of the classroom, students say that AI is influencing their personal lives. For many, AI is a tool that helps manage college life. From creating schedules to asking about different Social media trends, ChatGPT has become students go-to personal assistant.
Olivia Potoczak, a junior studying marketing at Arizona State University, said she uses AI in a way that assists her in being successful.
“I like to ask ChatGPT to help assist me when I create content for my social media,” Potoczak said. “It helps me come up with different captions and trending ideas to post.”
According to “The State of AI in Social Media” report released by Metricool.
Comfort Within AI Usage
The usage of AI has also brought comfort and confidence to students. Instead of waiting for professors to get back to students, they are able to practice more time management by asking ChatGPT to explain how to solve a problem. Some students also prefer this because there is no pressure or judgement from the software.
“Sometimes I feel like I'm asking dumb questions and I don't want to get judged for it by my professors,” Potoczak said. “It's easier for me to ask ChatGPT to explain a problem step-by-step for me without feeling judged for not knowing how to solve the problem.”
This is a common pressure within students and some professors are worried about the outcomes from it. Faculty members are trying to figure out the right balance for students to not feel that intense pressure. Some are allowing AI in the classroom, encouraging students to use it. Others restrict it completely and worry that too much AI will weaken skill development and originality.
This chart shows a survey done by The Harvard Crimson where they had 386 faculty members within Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences take a poll on what impact AI will have on higher education.
The education world has been split into two groups: The group that believes AI is helping prepare students for the real world and the group that believes AI is ruining the future of students careers.
“We want our students to be able to use these tools to their advantage,” Phelan said, “but we also need them to understand that these tools are not always correct. AI should support learning, not replace it.”
