Nearly one-third of university students use AI daily, study shows

Twenty-nine percent of university students reported that they use artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT, daily in their school work, according to a new survey conducted by the plagiarism-detection firm Copyleaks.

The study was part of the company’s inaugural report examining AI trends in education, found that 24% reported using AI several times and a week. Seventy-three percent of students reported using AI more this year than last year.

Ninety percent of students reported having used AI for academic purposes at least once. The most common uses named were brainstorming, drafting outlines, generating initial drafts, paraphrasing their work and summarizing readings.

“Students also use AI for grammar and spelling checks (33%), solving math problems (28%), and creating study guides (26%). These numbers show that AI is being treated as a learning partner, not just a shortcut for finished assignments,” a blog post summarizing the findings reads.

“For institutions, this means the question is not if students are using AI. It is how,” the post reads. “Classrooms, assignments, and teaching strategies must adapt to reflect this new reality. Policies that fail to acknowledge widespread AI use risk becoming irrelevant or driving behavior underground.”