Artificial intelligence: Two thirds of students in Germany use AI systems

At German universities, digital assistants with artificial intelligence (AI) are used by around two thirds of students (65 percent). This emerges from a survey by the digital association Bitkom. A further 22 percent said they could imagine using ChatGPT and similar systems. Only nine percent of those surveyed knew about the AI assistants but could not imagine using them. Only four percent had never heard or read about chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

According to the survey results, at many universities there are no fixed rules for the use of AI systems. Only 17 percent of those surveyed said that there were central rules, 20 percent reported rules that were individually set by teaching staff. A third of respondents (33 percent) reported that there are no rules for the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT. 30 percent knew nothing about the relevant rules or did not answer.

For the study, 506 students from all types of higher education institutions in Germany aged 18 and over were surveyed online at the beginning of January. The survey is not representative, but it does provide a picture of the mood.

“The field of tension between artificial intelligence”

The students therefore primarily use AI to familiarize themselves with a topic. 68 percent said they used ChatGPT or similar systems for research. 40 percent had the AI create summaries. 37 percent prepared a presentation using AI. A good third corrected their own texts using the technology (37 percent) or had texts translated (35 percent). A third used the AI to prepare for exams (33 percent), a good quarter to write homework (26 percent). At the same time, almost half of those surveyed (44 percent) were in favor of banning the use of chatbots for term papers or theses.

When evaluating the answers, Bitkom identified an “artificial intelligence tension” of approval and rejection. On the one hand, the vast majority of students (74 percent) demand that they should learn how to use AI correctly at university. Almost half think that the use of AI should be standard at all universities. On the other hand, 60 percent believe that this leads to students thinking and learning less independently. Every second respondent (51 percent) believes that ChatGPT makes students less concerned with the course content.

At German universities, digital assistants with artificial intelligence (AI) are used by around two thirds of students (65 percent). This emerges from a survey by the digital association Bitkom. A further 22 percent said they could imagine using ChatGPT and similar systems. Only nine percent of those surveyed knew about the AI assistants but could not imagine using them. Only four percent had never heard or read about chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

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