The use of artificial intelligence by students in their educational and academic activities

Modern higher education is in a phase of active digital transformation, the key driver of which is the widespread penetration of AI technologies. Powerful AI services, moving from the category of highly specialized tools to the category of mass educational products, are radically changing the academic practices of students. This process is ambivalent: on the one hand, AI opens up unprecedented opportunities for personalizing learning and improving academic efficiency, and on the other hand, it creates serious challenges related to maintaining academic integrity, developing critical thinking and emotional intelligence of students. The lack of empirical research devoted to real-world practices of using AI tools in an educational context, as well as their complex impact on the cognitive and emotional sphere of students determine the relevance of the research topic.

The scientific issue of the study is caused by the contradiction between the rapid implementation of AI technologies into the daily lives of students and the lack of a scientifically sound systematization of real practices of their use in educational activities, which makes it difficult to assess the impact of these practices on students’ academic effectiveness and the transformation of educational strategies, the disclosure of the main advantages and risks, the identification of key motives for the use of AI in educational and academic activities, and the analysis of the potential impact on the educational process. This issue is complex and requires further empirical verification on representative samples.

The results of a sociological study aimed at studying the AI technologies implementation into the academic practice of major Russian universities students are presented. Based on a survey of students (N = 189), the level of awareness, frequency and purpose of using AI services, and their impact on academic performance are analyzed. The consumption model identified in this sample, dominated by universal platforms, and the positive perception by students of the educational effect of AI confirm its transformative potential as a possible tool for personalized educational support and the formation of critical digital competencies.

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