AI is reshaping what and how college students study
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
California college students vary when it comes to how they're using and thinking about AI in their academics, personal lives and future careers, according to a massive new San Diego State University study.
The big picture: College graduates are entering a job market that's been rocked by a massive tech evolution, reshaping how students are preparing for the workforce and career prospects for entry-level employees.
Zoom in: Surveying more than 94,000 students, faculty and staff across 22 California State University (CSU) campuses, the SDSU-led study is considered the largest look at artificial intelligence in higher education to date.
- It found nearly every respondent had used AI, that most students feel the technology has positively affected learning and many want more formal training.
- When it comes to their futures, the majority of students said AI will be essential to most professions and play a significant role in their career, but they're concerned about its impact on job security.
Catch up quick: Last year, the CSU system rolled out a custom educational ChatGPT at all of its campuses and California college students gained access to free AI training and resources.
- San Diego State University added the first AI degree to the CSU system last fall.
- UC San Diego students can also major in AI at UC San Diego and get an AI master's degree at the University of San Diego.
What we're watching: CSU's ChatGPT contract expires in July, and an online petition with more than 3,400 signatures calls for the university system to cancel it and "invest in humans."
Zoom out: AI is also determining the studies U.S. college students pursue, as nearly half say they've thought at least a fair amount about changing their major or studies because of the tech's potential impact, recent polling from Lumina Foundation and Gallup shows.
By the numbers: Among currently enrolled college students, 14% have thought "a great deal" and 33% have thought "a fair amount" about changing their major or field of study because of the effect AI could have on the job market or on specific industries, the polling found.
- Such thoughts are higher among male students (60%) than among female students (38%) and among those studying technology (70%) and vocational fields (71%) compared to others, like business (54%), humanities (54%) and engineering (52%).
- 16% of students have changed their major because of the impact AI might have.
The bottom line: As students are entering a world of AI, colleges' approaches toward the tech are uneven: Some remain hesitant, while others are all in.
- And in either case, students across campuses are embracing it.