Survey reveals what students think about AI

A new Dartmouth AI Survey, conducted between June and September, reveals that college students primarily use AI for learning purposes. However, students believe their peers are using AI more frequently than they actually are. For instance, only 11% of students reported using AI to solve problem sets, while 49% thought their peers were doing so. Similarly, 8% admitted to copying and pasting text with minimal editing, while 50% believed their peers were engaging in such behavior.

The survey also highlights how AI impacts homework and learning, as well as students' preparation for the job market upon graduation. Dartmouth students are more likely to use AI for drafting essays (17%) compared to their national counterparts (63%). Furthermore, 92% of Dartmouth students agree that AI can adversely affect writing skills, a sentiment shared by 84% of students nationwide.

Differences in AI usage and perceived risks are more pronounced by field of study than by class year. For example, 70% of Dartmouth students in the sciences believe AI deepens understanding, compared to 67% in social sciences and 48% in arts and humanities. Despite this, 84% of Dartmouth students feel AI is changing jobs in their field, yet not necessarily eliminating them.

Students have expressed a desire to use AI to enhance their learning and career prospects, yet they also assume their peers are cutting corners. This perception shapes their attitudes towards fairness and their efforts to keep up. Dartmouth is addressing these concerns by providing clear expectations, opportunities to build with AI, critical thinking skills, and access to premium AI tools through partnerships with companies like Anthropic and AWS.

Additionally, the institution has appointed an AI fellow to lead academic initiatives and a Faculty Leadership Group on AI will soon release recommendations for pedagogy and research.