‘I Use ChatGPT , but Should I?’ A Multi‐Method Analysis of Students' Practices and Attitudes Towards AI in Higher Education
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Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to revolutionise educational practices, but their use raises ethical and organisational concerns for higher education institutions (HEIs). We investigated Italian students' perception and usage of AI tools at the University of Udine using questionnaires ( N = 531) with fixed and open‐ended items and semi‐structured interviews ( N = 60). The findings reveal that while over two‐thirds of students use ChatGPT for personal purposes, 40.9% employ it for academic tasks, primarily for summarisation, clarification and content generation. Most students (70%) expressed awareness of ethical concerns, and 55% saw the potential value in using AI, if regulated, for specific learning activities. Students generally did not perceive a direct threat to their studies or career prospects, although 60% voiced reservations about potential negative impacts on broader societal functions. These results underscore the need for HEIs to implement regulations for AI tool use to balance innovation with ethical challenges.
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Institutions are exploring the use of AI detection software and plagiarism-checking tools specifically designed to identify AI-generated content.
“institutions are also exploring the use of AI detection software and plagiarism-checking tools specifically designed to identify AI-generated content (Alzubi et al., 2025; Chan & Lee, 2023; Farinosi & Melchior, 2025).”
From Six Institutional Intervention Areas to Support Ethical and Effective Student Use of Generative AI in Higher Education: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as Farinosi & Melchior, 2025
The Conclusions (section 6; page unavailable) recommend institutional protocols for detecting and addressing AI misuse. They do not say that institutions are currently exploring AI-detection software or plagiarism-checking tools designed to identify AI-generated content. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Farinosi, M., & Melchior, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Udine (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Melchior, Claudio
- Venue
- European Journal of Education
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2025-04-27
- Volume
- 60
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 0141-8211 (ISSN-L)
- 1465-3435
- OpenAlex
- W4409902759
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 24.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- European Journal of Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Institutional Research Information System (University of Udine) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Università degli Studi di Udine
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Artificial Intelligence in Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Keywords
- ChatGPT, artificial intelligence in higher education, student attitudes toward AI, AI ethics, AI regulation, Italian university students, University of Udine
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