Americans Are Skeptical About AI Use in Higher Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) has remained one of the most discussed topics in higher education this past year. My alma mater, the University of Georgia, has been pushing for more AI use on campus among faculty, staff, and students.This push includes major investments into AI research, across-campus access to Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s generative AI chatbot, and the establishment of the Innovation in AI Teaching award, incentivizing faculty to teach students to effectively engage with AI in and outside of the classroom.

The University of Georgia is not alone. Colleges and universities across the United States are rushing to incorporate AI throughout their campuses. For instance, the University of Michigan developed a custom suite of AI tools for students and faculty to use, designed to manage data and support individual’s needs. Some institutions, such as Arizona State University, have even started partnering with OpenAI, an artificial intelligence company, to connect their campus with ChatGPT.

As more institutions start to embrace AI, questions remain on how it will impact higher education. To better understand how Americans feel about this emerging use of technology, for the first time this year, Varying Degrees, New America’s nationally representative survey analyzing public opinion, included questions on the integration of AI in postsecondary spaces. These questions illuminate Americans’ perceptions of AI use and how it affects student learning, student support, and the value of postsecondary credentials. While our results vary slightly, one thing is clear: Americans are still hesitant about AI use in higher education and uncertain about its impact on the field.

Specifically, when asked about students’ use of AI, the public remains skeptical. Half (53 percent) believe that students’ use of AI negatively impacts their learning, compared to 27 percent who think it could be positive and 18 percent who think there is no impact (see Figure 1).

When it comes to how colleges are using AI in teaching and supporting students, public opinion also leans negatively. More Americans (46 percent) think that faculty and staff’s use of AI will negatively impact their support for students. A third believe that institutional use of AI will positively impact students, and 19 percent say there is no impact (see Figure 2).

Americans’ split opinions make sense. When it comes to integrating AI into teaching and studying, both faculty and students are still figuring out what the best approach is. Professors are beginning to productively incorporate AI into their classrooms. However, a few faculty members have incorrectly used AI, leading students’ work to be wrongly disqualified. Similarly, some students are starting to utilize AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Speechify, and Grammarly as a supplement to their learning, while others rely on AI to aid them with their writing or homework assignments.

Surveys show that Generation Z (Gen Z) is more likely to use AI than other generations. According to a 2024 survey conducted by the Arts and Science Group LLC, approximately half (48 percent) of incoming university students aged 17-18 are familiar with AI, with an additional 26 percent stating that they are very familiar with AI. One would think that since Gen Z is more familiar with AI, they would feel more convinced about the use of AI in college. However, the answer is not that clear-cut.

When comparing among generations, both younger and older generations feel unsure about students’ use of AI, yet only 19 percent of Gen Z say AI use in higher education will positively impact student learning, an 8 percentage point decrease from the general population (see Figure 3). Additionally, Gen Z was more likely (24 percent compared to 18 percent of the general public) to believe that students’ use of AI will not impact their learning. Gen Z also has a noticeable difference in perception around faculty and staff use of AI, with 54 percent viewing faculty and staff use as negative, an 8 percentage point increase from the general population (see Figure 4).

Since our inaugural survey in 2017, Varying Degrees has focused on understanding Americans’ perceptions of the value of higher education. This year is no different. Our 2024 value findings highlight that many American still believe in the value of higher education, with 73 percent believing that higher education provides a good return on investment (see Figure 5). Having said that, when evaluating AI's impact on the value of postsecondary credentials, only 15 percent of Americans think the growing use of AI in the workplace would increase the value of college credentials, compared to 43 percent who think it will not affect the value and 40 percent who think AI use in the workplace devalues postsecondary credentials (see Figure 6).

Considering many believe that white-collar jobs, ranging from administrative assistants to data analysts to consultants, could be at risk with the introduction of AI in the workplace, this split in opinion is important for policymakers and institutional leaders to take note. As AI technology continues to be improved and expanded, higher education leaders need to be ready to communicate with students and other stakeholders about why postsecondary credentials matter even more in a constantly changing world.