These Students Use AI A Lot — But Not to Cheat
In 2025, the editorial team from The Chronicle of Higher Education invited more than 100 college students to tell them about their AI use. Many of the students’ stories describe their use of AI as a "Swiss army knife-like" tool to help them better understand the class and course materials, study more efficiently, be more in control of diverse learning dis-/abilities, and better understand different teaching designs. Beth McMurtrie tells their stories in a compelling way.
“AI allows all students, despite the way they learn, to understand your course materials.”
Cheating is, of course, a major problem in colleges. Professors report a dramatic rise in AI-generated writing and other forms of misuse. Yet another, equally profound, change is taking place under the radar: Increasingly, students are turning to artificial intelligence as an all-purpose study tool, recasting how they think about learning and reshaping their relationships with classmates and professors.
For many students, AI has been a godsend, helping them overcome learning deficits or poorly taught courses. Others appreciate the tools’ efficiency. In a fast-paced world, where students might be juggling a full course load and working 20 hours a week or more, speed is everything. And while they are bothered by the idea that professors assume students just use AI to cheat, they are often unsure whether they are cheating by using AI. Even students don’t talk much about these gray areas, students say, other than through jokes about “ChatGPTing” an assignment.