By: Michael Mayhew | Publish Date: November 10, 2026
Artificial intelligence has quickly become a part of everyday college life, changing how students research, brainstorm, and complete assignments. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into search engines and other online tools, students and professors are navigating how and when it can be used.
For college students, AI tools can provide a quick way to generate ideas or find a starting point for an assignment. However, the convenience of receiving information almost instantly has also raised concerns about students becoming too dependent on AI technology.
Jayden Andrews, a media and film student, said he primarily uses AI as a brainstorming tool rather than allowing it to complete his work.
“I mainly use AI to help me brainstorm ideas depending on the class and assignments. It’s helpful for getting started, but relying on it too much limits your own critical thinking,” Andrews said.
The growing presence of AI can also make it difficult for students to completely avoid using this type of technology, even when they are conducting traditional online research. Anytime Public Relations major Meadow Orange goes to research information, AI is automatically attached to sources.
It’s not just students who have noticed this, professors are also encountering AI in both their own work and student work. Sanyya Gardez, a professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Journalism, said AI can help generate ideas but expressed concern about what increased reliance on the technology could mean for creativity.
“There is no getting away from the fact that not only students but also professors are using AI because it can be helpful to generate ideas, but it takes away creativity from coming up with original ideas because we’re beginning to rely on getting answers within milliseconds,” Gardez said.
Determining where helpful assistance ends and inappropriate use begins is another challenge as AI tools become more advanced. Allison Edgley, PhD, a fellow professor in the Department of CMJ, said she would prefer students not to use AI but acknowledged its usefulness for research, resource gathering and certain writing tools.
“I asked AI a question yesterday and received articles with mini summaries to help me decide which one I wanted to use. I wound up reading them all. That is very helpful,” Edgley said. “Grammarly is also helpful to make sure writing is concise, and the tone is appropriate, but once you start getting to the advanced features that basically rewrite whole sections, then the ethical boundary gets crossed.”
Edgley said she has also used AI to help draft letters and complete tedious administrative tasks. However, her concerns about artificial intelligence extend beyond academic integrity.
“What I am truly concerned about is the dependence globally and AI data centers,” Edgley said. “A student plagiarizing is just a minute aspect of the larger problem in my opinion.”
As AI continues to develop and become integrated into everyday technology, students and professors are faced with deciding how it should fit into education. While it can help with research and brainstorming, the challenge may be learning how to use the technology without allowing convenience to replace creativity, critical thinking, and original work.
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