Harvard Undergraduate Survey on Generative AI
This addresses the problem of understanding AI's effects on college students for educators and policymakers, but it is incremental as it applies existing survey methods to a new demographic.
The study investigated how generative AI impacts Harvard undergraduates' study habits, class choices, and career prospects, finding that almost 90% of students use AI, with 25% substituting it for traditional academic activities and half expressing concerns about job prospects.
How has generative AI impacted the experiences of college students? We study the influence of AI on the study habits, class choices, and career prospects of Harvard undergraduates (n=326), finding that almost 90% of students use generative AI. For roughly 25% of these students, AI has begun to substitute for attending office hours and completing required readings. Half of students are concerned that AI will negatively impact their job prospects, and over half of students wish that Harvard had more classes on the future impacts of AI. We also investigate students' outlook on the broader social implications of AI, finding that half of students are worried that AI will increase economic inequality, and 40% believe that extinction risk from AI should be treated as a global priority with the same urgency as pandemics and nuclear war. Around half of students who have taken a class on AI expect AI to exceed human capabilities on almost all tasks within 30 years. We make some recommendations to the Harvard community in light of these results.