Artificial intelligence is becoming a regular part of academic life, with a new survey highlighting its widespread use among US students. The findings show that 95% of surveyed undergraduate and graduate students use AI for assignments and projects.
The survey, conducted by Clarivate, included more than 500 students and reported a substantial increase from 45% in 2024. However, the results apply to the surveyed group and do not establish that 95% of all US students use AI.
Moreover, the findings do not mean students rely on chatbots to write entire assignments. Instead, respondents reported using the technology for several academic tasks, including research, summarisation, writing and editing.
How Are Students Using AI for Academic Work?
The survey highlights how students are incorporating AI into different stages of their academic work. Rather than using it for a single purpose, respondents reported relying on the technology for research support and written assignments.
According to the findings, around 61% of students used AI to summarise articles. An equal proportion used it to brainstorm research ideas, making these two among the reported uses of the technology.
Meanwhile, 51% said they used AI to write and edit papers. This suggests that students are applying these tools to both the early stages of research and the preparation of written work.
The findings also point to AI’s growing role in helping students process information. However, the survey does not establish that every student uses the technology in the same way or to the same extent.
AI Use Has Increased Significantly Since 2024
One of the survey’s notable findings is the reported rise in AI use among students. The proportion increased from 45% in 2024 to 95% in the latest survey.
This change highlights how quickly artificial intelligence has entered students’ academic routines. Furthermore, the results suggest that AI tools have become relevant to activities ranging from developing research ideas to editing papers.
Nevertheless, the figures should be interpreted carefully. The survey covered more than 500 undergraduate and graduate students, so its results should not automatically represent the entire US student population.
Similarly, widespread AI use does not necessarily mean students use these tools to complete all their academic work. The findings instead describe reported use across several different tasks.
Why Are Students Checking AI-Generated Information?
Despite AI’s growing popularity, the survey highlights continuing concerns about the reliability of its responses. Students reported encountering inaccurate information and fabricated citations, making verification an important part of their academic work.
Around 60% of undergraduate respondents said they checked AI-generated results most of the time or always. Among graduate students, the proportion reached 64%.
These figures indicate that many respondents recognise the need to examine AI-generated information rather than accept it without question. However, the findings also show that verification practices differ among students.
Checking facts and citations matters because AI-generated answers can contain errors. Therefore, students need to assess the information they receive before relying on it in assignments or research projects.
Do AI Chatbots Offer Less Diverse Information Than Search Engines?
Separate research from the University of Copenhagen examined 27 language models and compared the information diversity of chatbot answers with search results.
The research found that chatbot answers offered less information diversity than search results. This raises questions about whether relying on a narrow set of AI-generated responses could limit the range of perspectives students encounter.
However, this finding does not establish that AI use directly reduces intelligence. It also does not mean that every chatbot response lacks useful or accurate information.
Instead, the results highlight a distinction between receiving a convenient answer and exploring a broader range of information. Students who rely exclusively on chatbot responses may miss perspectives available through other research methods.
What Do the Findings Mean for Students and Education?
The survey highlights AI’s growing place in academic work, from summarising articles to brainstorming ideas and editing papers. At the same time, the findings underline the importance of checking the accuracy of generated information.
Students can use AI to support their work, but they still need to assess claims, verify citations and consider different perspectives. In particular, research tasks benefit from checking information against reliable material rather than relying on a single generated response.
Ultimately, the survey documents widespread AI use among the students who participated, not universal adoption across the United States. Its findings also point to a continuing challenge: making use of AI’s academic benefits while recognising its limitations in accuracy and information diversity.
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