Date
Publisher
arXiv
How has generative AI impacted the experiences of college students? We study the influence of AI on the study habits, class choices, and career prospects of Harvard undergraduates (n = 326), finding that almost 90% of students use generative AI. For roughly 25% of these students, AI has begun to substitute for attending office hours and completing required readings. Half of students are concerned that AI will negatively impact their job prospects, and over half of students wish that Harvard had more classes on the future impacts of AI. We also investigate students outlook on the broader social implications of AI, finding that half of students are worried that AI will increase economic inequality, and 40% believe that extinction risk from AI should be treated as a global priority with the same urgency as pandemics and nuclear war. Around half of students who have taken a class on AI expect AI to exceed human capabilities on almost all tasks within 30 years. We make some recommendations to the Harvard community in light of these results.
Study at a glance
- Question: How has generative AI influenced college students' study habits, course choices, and future career prospects?
- Setting and data: 326 Harvard undergraduate students.
- Method: Survey of undergraduates.
Why it matters
Understanding how generative AI has impacted the experiences of college students requires examining its influence on their study habits, class choices, career prospects, and outlook on broader social implications.
Key findings
- Almost 90% of 326 surveyed Harvard undergraduates use generative AI, with roughly 25% using it to replace office hours and required readings.
- Half of students reported concern that AI will harm their job prospects, and over half wanted more classes on its future impacts.
- Half of students worried AI will increase economic inequality, and 40% viewed extinction risk from AI as an urgent global priority.
Summary drafted with AI from the paper’s abstract and may contain errors. See the full paper for details.
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