AI is taking over the world — or at least, that’s how it feels in 2025. From Spotify algorithms to smart assistants that schedule your day, artificial intelligence is woven into nearly every part of daily life. And now, it’s become a staple of college life too. Walk through any campus, and you’ll hear students swapping prompt ideas or asking ChatGPT to help them outline an essay. Whether it’s used to overcome writer’s block, explain complex concepts, or simplify required gen-ed courses, AI tools are as embedded in college routines as energy drinks and group chats.
Still, AI’s place in higher education is far from settled. Colleges have scrambled to keep up, drafting new guidelines around plagiarism, citation, and fair use — often with little consensus between departments, or even professors. Some schools have embraced AI as a tool for learning and innovation; others see it as a threat to academic integrity. The rapid rollout of tools like ChatGPT has forced institutions to confront big questions: What counts as original work? Can students still develop critical thinking skills if they rely on machines to do the heavy lifting? And where’s the line between help and cheating? For now, the answers vary widely — and students are often left to navigate that gray area on their own.
So what does AI in college really look like? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some students treat AI like a second brain, leaning on it for everything from flashcard creation to internship cover letters. Others avoid it entirely, worried about academic integrity or just preferring to do the work themselves in case of getting caught using AI.
Below, 10 college students from schools across the country answer the same question: How do you use AI for schoolwork? Their answers reveal just how nuanced the topic truly is.
Many Have Incorporated AI Into Their Assignments & Study Habits
For many, AI is used as a tool to enhance their learning and their work. Gabriella, a sophomore at Florida State University, says she uses it to organize her thoughts and craft strong hooks: “A lot of my major is writing, so not very often do I have the opportunity to use it during school. But I find it useful when I need help with outlines or clever ideas.”
Annie* a sophomore at Kennesaw State University, takes a similar approach. “Sometimes I get writer’s block and don’t know what to put, so I use ChatGPT to look up ideas,” she shares. “I also love using it to make quizzes for me to study for exams.”
Others turn to AI for more technical help. Tom, a sophomore at Santa Fe College, uses it to build custom study guides. “It can create multiple choice and short response questions based on your notes. For English and poli-sci, it can even act as a peer reviewer if you give it a rubric.”
For some, AI is less about heavy lifting and more about small boosts. Caroline, a sophomore at the University of Southern California, believes this. “I occasionally use AI to check if my thought process makes sense when I’m brainstorming ideas for an essay,” she says. “Even outside the classroom, students are finding ways to make AI work for them. Sophia, a sophomore at George Washington University, feels similarly; she uses it to summarize textbook readings and come up with headlines for her journalism articles before submitting them to editors.
Of course, not every student is using AI in a squeaky-clean way. Caden* a freshman at Florida State University is brutally honest: “I use that sh*t to cheat on all my assignments. On God, they’re never catching my *ss doing some dumb*ss government/math class. I’ll learn in the classes that apply to my major.”
While the comment may be blunt, it reflects a wider trend: Some students are using AI as a workaround for classes they see as irrelevant. Whether that’s pragmatic or problematic depends on who you ask.
Others Refuse to Touch It
Not everyone is here for the AI hype. In fact, several students say they refuse to use it at all.
“I don’t use AI in college — I think it defeats the purpose of trying to utilize your resources and takes away from human-made work,” says Caroline, a sophomore at the University of Central Florida.
Mackenzie, a student at the University of Maryland, goes even further. “Truthfully, I believe AI is an extremely unethical practice, both inside and outside of the classroom,” she says. “I would rather spend the time working longer on an assignment than feeling like I cheated through it.”
Ethical issues are top of mind for some students, including concerns about plagiarism, authorship, and data privacy — especially when AI tools are used to generate or revise written work. For many, it’s the lack of a consensus around guidelines and rules that keep them from using it. Emilia, a sophomore at the University of North Florida, says, “I know a lot of people who use it, but I feel like AI has a lot of ethical issues that haven’t been addressed yet.”
For This Generation, AI Feels Unavoidable
AI isn’t just changing how students approach their college careers — it’s woven into nearly every part of their daily lives. But there’s no one-size-fits-all way to use AI — or think about it.
“I use AI for schoolwork, random questions I think of, and for helping me generate responses for [sorority] recruitment season. I basically use AI every day for lots of random little things, but I think it has definitely taken a big part of my life,” says Ella, a sophomore at Florida Atlantic University.
For many, AI tools have become routine, whether for studying, writing, or quick information searches. Caroline from USC shares, “I’ll often read the AI-generated response that shows up at the top of a Google search because it’s easy — but I take it with a grain of salt since it’s AI, and there usually aren’t any sources attached.”
As AI evolves and integrates more deeply into education and everyday life, questions around ethics, accessibility, and its long-term impact will only grow in importance. What’s clear is that for much of this generation, AI is not a passing trend — it’s already a fundamental part of how they live and learn.
*Names have been changed.