Most faculty members worry students’ overreliance on generative AI will come at the cost of their ability to think critically and other skills.
Faculty also fear these tech tools will shorten students’ attention spans, erode academic integrity and lessen the value of college degrees, a new American Association of Colleges and Universities survey finds. The rapid advancement and spread of the technology have pushed higher ed to an “inflection point,” says Eddie Watson, AAC&U’s vice president for digital innovation.
“These findings do not call for abandoning AI, but for intentional leadership—rethinking teaching models, assessment practices, and academic integrity so that human judgment, inquiry, and learning remain central,” Watson says.
“The challenge before higher education is to act with urgency and purpose so that AI strengthens, rather than undermines, the value of a college degree.”
Faculty are not uniformly opposed to generative AI. Many of those surveyed believed students must learn how to use generative AI because the technology will impact their future jobs. Instructors must “stress the ethical, environmental, and social consequences of AI use,” according to AAC&U.
Generative AI isn’t all bad
An overwhelming 95% of faculty members are concerned students will over-rely on generative AI as the technology advances. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed also said their college’s graduates were “not very or not at all prepared” to use generative AI in the workplace.
Majorities of faculty members also warn generative AI will:
- Diminish students’ critical thinking skills (90%)
- Decrease student attention spans (83%)
- Impact the work and role of those who teach in higher education (86%)
- Disrupt the typical teaching model in their department (79%)
- Increase cheating on campus (78%)
- Devalue academic degrees (74%)
Nearly nine in 10 faculty members created policies for students on acceptable uses of AI in coursework and almost as many have addressed address bias, hallucinations, misinformation, privacy and ethics.
About 60% believe generative AI could enhance or customize learning but many faculty also say their institutions are not preparing students or staff to use the technology.
“Some (faculty) are innovating and eager to do more; a notable share are strongly resistant; and many are grappling with how to proceed,” says Lee Rainie, director of Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center and a co-author of the report.
“At the same time, there is broad agreement that without clear values, shared norms and serious investment in AI literacy, we risk trading compelling teaching, deep learning, human judgment and students’ intellectual independence for convenience and a perilous, automated future.”
Some 1,057 faculty members responded to the survey conducted by the AAC&U and Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center.
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