From 2024 to 2026, the proportion of post-secondary students in the United Kingdom using generative artificial intelligence "in some way in their studies" jumped to a staggering 95 per cent from 66 per cent, according to the UK's Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI).
The trend is hardly limited to the U.K. In Canada, the percentages are also rising sharply, from 59 per cent in 2024 to 73 per cent last year, according to a survey by KPMG Canada. What's more, nearly half of students surveyed said their critical thinking skills have deteriorated since adopting AI.
What was once a fringe tool is now used by the vast majority of students, said Afia Abedinin a recent presentation alongside Soroush Razavi at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) annual Upper Bound conference last month. Both are machine learning educators with Amii.
"Students are not just using it for generating text; they're using it for research, for generating ideas and approaching assignments," says Abedin. "It's becoming part of students' workflow."
Ubiquitous but uncertain
Despite the ubiquity of generative AI - such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Microsoft's Copilot - many students feel universities have been slow to embrace the inevitable, says Abedin, too often framing the tool only in terms of academic misconduct, rather than accepting it as a powerful new research aid that's here to stay.
"There is a lot of uncertainty among students about whether they are using it appropriately or not. Many worry they are cheating and fear they might be caught if using these AI tools."
According to the KPMG, 77 per cent of postsecondary students want clear direction on AI literacy, including courses that provide examples of how it can be used responsibly and ethically. Only one university surveyed explicitly mentioned critical thinking in the role AI can play in research.
"This is something we all need to address, because while these new technologies are great, we still want students to have critical thinking, so they're able to ask questions of AI outputs, verify them and be confident when citing anything from generative AI," says Abedin.
In Canada, the University of Alberta has begun to integrate its use in the classroom, declaring that it is "committed to the ethical and responsible use of AI." Last year, the university introduced Gemini and NotebookLM to its institutional Google workspace. The custom versions include the use of "Gems" - sets of prompts users can set permanently in Gemini to guide searches.
A few premade Gems include one for brainstorming, one for breaking down complex topics into simple concepts, and a writing editor for fixing grammar, structure and tone. Users can also create their own Gem - perhaps naming it "fact checker" - with explicit, strict instructions like "find only trusted, peer-reviewed sources" or "consult only sources provided" when translating or summarizing.
The U of A's approach is part of what's called a "supervised adoption model," aimed at encouraging innovation while mitigating risks such as data leaks, academic dishonesty and algorithmic bias.
The university's Framework for the Responsible Use of AI includes references to transparency, mindfulness, accountability and human oversight. Three years ago, it launched an online introductory course called "Artificial Intelligence Everywhere," accessible to all U of A undergraduates.
