In a recent article for University World News the author states that the age of AI “is not merely a challenge to employment; it is a wake-up call for educators”. And with that in mind, we added a series of questions around Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the International Student Barometer (ISB) in the 2024 survey wave. With 106,427 international students answering the 2024 ISB survey from 132 universities in 24 countries, we are keen to see how currently enrolled students perceive and interact with AI, helping our ISB partner institutions make informed decisions about whether and how to incorporate AI tools.
It has struck me for some time that we have seen for nearly a decade articles telling us ‘the robots are coming’ – I have always wondered how does that impact the younger generation? Would that make them doubt their study and career choices? The ISB data interestingly shows that only 11% of currently enrolled international students mentions they expect a very negative (2%) or negative (9%) effect on their career prospects. The majority, 47%, expects a very positive (16%) or positive impact (31%) on their future career prospects. Regionally we do see interesting differences, with international students studying in the UK being less positive (at 34%) and international students studying in North America being most positive (at 52%) about the impact of AI on future career prospects.
| Impact on career prospects | Global ISB | North America | Asia | Europe | UK |
| Very Positive | 16% | 18% | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| Positive | 31% | 34% | 32% | 33% | 28% |
| Neither positive nor negative | 42% | 38% | 44% | 42% | 42% |
| Negative | 9% | 8% | 6% | 9% | 10% |
| Very negative | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 3% |
This data tells us that currently enrolled students are apparently not anxious for a future where Artificial Intelligence plays a major role. And, going back to the UWN article, “for today’s learners, artificial intelligence is not merely an external aid but an embedded presence in nearly every intellectual task.” Let’s look again at what data we gathered during the ISB 2024 wave from this large cohort of international students. How frequently do they use AI and for what purposes?
| Frequency of Use | Global ISB | North America | Asia | Europe | UK |
| Never | 1% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% |
| Rarely | 16% | 11% | 14% | 10% | 21% |
| Monthly | 13% | 10% | 16% | 12% | 15% |
| Weekly | 44% | 47% | 44% | 50% | 40% |
| Daily | 26% | 32% | 25% | 29% | 23% |
The question “In which areas have AI tools most significantly impacted your academic experience?” we see globally that ‘Research and Information Retrieval’ scores highest at 67%, with 74% of international students in North America highlighting they use AI for this purpose. When asked “How frequently do you use AI-powered educational tools to support your studies?”, the largest group says 44% globally, with some regional differences as highlighted in the table below. The ISB data confirms a HEPI survey regarding the widespread of use of AI tools as was mentioned earlier in a THE article. The HEPI survey revealed that “nine in 10 UK undergraduates now using AI in assessments” and “one in four students use text generated by tools such as ChatGPT in submitted work”.
What should be the response of Higher Education Institutions? Do we focus on academic integrity, with a strong concern on cheating and plagiarism? Or do we learn our students how to use these tools in a critical and ethical way? During the ISB feedback presentations of the 2024 data in the past two months, it was clear that different regions may adopt rather different strategies. I presented at one institution in the north of Europe, where we were hosted by the AI learning lab, no need to mention how integrated AI tools are into their curricula. But I also presented at institutions were the main worry was how do we overcome students cheating by using AI tools.
Let’s end with a quote from the UWN article that I started with: “What does it mean to teach critical thinking when reasoning itself is partially outsourced?”
More information on this topic will appear in the Global Student Experience Report 2025.