Majority of students worried AI will be misused in their university

Students were more likely to consider using AI to write or produce an entire piece of work as cheating; 63% of those surveyed said this was cheating, and 13% said it was acceptable, compared to 55% of college educators. File photo

College students are worried about the use of AI in education, with a majority worried about the technology being misused in their university, a new survey suggests.

The findings are included in a report compiled by plagiarism checker Turnitin, which is commonly used in Irish higher education institutions.

Surveying more than 3,500 students and administrators working in colleges across Ireland, the UK, Australia, India, Mexico, New Zealand and the US, it found many students are worried about AI in education.

Students were also more likely to be worried about the use of AI than their academic administrators or educators, it found. A vast majority (95%) of the academic administrators, educators, and students surveyed believe AI is being misused. 

Students were more likely to consider using AI to write or produce an entire piece of work as cheating; 63% of those surveyed said this was cheating, and 13% said it was acceptable, compared to 55% of college educators. 

According to Turnitin, this is where "confusion arises". It notes that academic administrators, who are often tasked with developing policies on acceptable AI use, have differing perspectives from students on the acceptable use of AI. 

"This highlights the need for clear policies and guidance to ensure a shared understanding of how and when AI can be used in academic settings, and dispel potential unease and distrust," it added. 

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Earlier this year, the Government received expert advice warning that methods to detect artificial technology (AI) used by students for plagiarism in education “do not and will not work”. 

The AI Advisory Council said Generative AI, especially where it intersects with education is currently “developing at an unprecedented rate that none of us can easily be comfortable with, and some are more uncomfortable than others". 

In its advice, the panel recommended the Government create and publish guidelines for the use of AI in education which remain “live documents” that can quickly be updated as AI evolves.

Second-level teachers have called for indemnification against any legal cases taken by students if their results are withheld due to suspected cheating with AI. 

The second-level teachers' union are undergoing talks with the Minister for Education currently over Senior Cycle reform and may ballot for industrial action if this fails to reach an "acceptable" outcome.