26 How do students use AI?

The Concerns: Is GenAI Making Us “Lazy”?

Some people worry that GenAI makes it too easy for students to skip the “real work.” Experts who study how we think and learn are concerned that depending too much on AI could actually make our brains “lazy” and hurt our ability to think deeply. A study published in the British Journal of Education Technology found something interesting: while AI tools might help students complete tasks better in the short term, they don’t always lead to real long-term learning or make students more interested in the subject. The study even talked about the idea of “metacognitive laziness” – where learners don’t push themselves to think hard or manage their own learning because they rely too much on GenAI.

Why Students Turn to GenAI

Based on data from UMN’s Student Experience in the Research University survey (SERU) and student focus groups, common reasons students use GenAI include:

• Unclear or vague assignment instructions
• Feeling overwhelmed, behind, or disconnected
• Low motivation in courses that are outside of their major and/or areas of interest, such as general education or required courses
• Perception that an assignment or task is busywork
• Insecurity about their writing or communication skills

Some of these concerns can be assisted by the capabilities of GenAI, while others better solved by communicating with instructors directly, speaking with an academic advisor or mental health specialist.

AI as a tool for deeper learning

On the flip side, AI can be helpful for handling simple, routine tasks. This could free up your time so you can focus on more challenging, creative thinking. There’s some excitement about how GenAI might change education – making studying easier, summarizing long articles in a flash, and even creating content that sounds just like a human wrote it. But there are also a lot of deep concerns from students and instructors on the negative impacts of GenAI use.

Navigating AI use at the University

At the University, there are appropriate ways and inappropriate ways to use GenAI, and it’s important to know how to make a judgement. This lesson will help you figure out when it’s smart to let AI lend a hand with a learning task—and when it’s much, much better to rely on your own brilliant brain.

But even with all this new technology, being a college student still means taking the time to truly learn, think for yourself, and understand the world around you. It’s about developing your own brainpower.