From Google to ChatGPT, physics students increasingly seek answers through conversational AI

A recent study by researchers at Bar-Ilan University reveals that physics students worldwide are increasingly seeking answers through conversational AI tools like ChatGPT, as reported in Physical Review Physics Education Research. Examining search data from over 20 countries between 2022 and 2025, the researchers observed a consistent decline in Google searches for physics concepts alongside a similar drop in visits to related Wikipedia articles.

Dr. Yossi Ben-Zion, one of the study's authors, noted that this shift does not indicate a decrease in learning but rather a change in how students access information. The study found that in English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, Google search activity for physics topics remained relatively stable.

However, in many non-English-speaking countries, there were substantial declines in searches. The researchers suggest that AI may serve as an educational equalizer by providing clear, high-quality explanations in students' native languages, thus reducing the "language tax" often faced by students. Generative AI has the potential to democratize access to knowledge by making complex scientific concepts more accessible in multiple languages.

However, the study also revealed that the shift to AI depends on the subject matter. For physics topics that can be explained through text and logical reasoning, Google searches declined more sharply than for topics that rely heavily on diagrams and visual representations. This pattern highlights the current strengths and limitations of large language models, which excel at generating verbal explanations but struggle with tasks requiring sophisticated visual understanding.

The research, based on Google Trends data, provides one of the first large-scale, international insights into how generative AI is transforming students' information-seeking behavior, raising important questions about the future of science education and how educational resources should adapt in the AI era.