Students Using AI More and Learning Less: Poll

Six in 10 Canadian students are using generative artificial intelligence to improve the quality of their schoolwork, but two-thirds of those surveyed say it is harming their overall knowledge retention, according to a newly released survey.
The students surveyed who used AI said the tools help improve the quality of their schoolwork, but 67 percent acknowledged they aren’t learning or retaining as much knowledge as a result.
“Educators should consider what the ramifications will be for this generation who, while adept at using technology, might not be developing the critical-thinking skills that they need to lead successful lives and careers,” KPMG spokesperson C.J. James said in an Oct. 21 release.
Of additional concern, said James, is that more than 80 percent of students polled “are claiming generative AI-produced content as their own original work,” and “most aren’t telling their educator that they’re using these tools.”
Seventy percent of students polled admitted to turning to generative AI tools rather than asking their instructors for help.
A total of 63 percent of students use generative AI tools a few times each week, 14 percent use it a few times each month, and 10 percent use it daily, the survey found.
Thirty-four percent said AI saves them three to five hours per week while another 34 percent says it saves them between one and two hours per week.
Top uses of AI are for generating ideas (46 percent), research (41 percent), and editing and reviewing assignments (38 percent), the survey found. Thirty-six percent of students polled said they use the tools to summarize information from publicly available sources, 32 percent use it when writing essays or reports, and 24 percent use it for tests or exams.
Many of the students surveyed admitted to worrying about their use of AI for their schoolwork. Sixty-five percent said they feel “they are cheating” when using AI and 63 percent worry they will get caught by their educator/educational institution for using generative AI tools without their knowledge.
Despite their mixed feelings about using the tool, a slight majority of Canadian students want to see more AI adoption in educational settings, the poll found.
Fifty-five percent of respondents put skills and career planning as the No. 1 area for increased AI use, followed by onboarding and orientation at 54 percent, admissions at 52 percent, and course pathway planning at 52 percent.
Nearly three-quarters of students surveyed (74 percent) who use AI have used or plan to use it on their application for post-secondary school admissions while 70 percent use it to create and/or refine their resume.