Business students' regular AI use jumps to 29% in three years

Regular AI use among business students has surged nearly fivefold over the past three years, climbing from 6.2% to 29%, according to new research from American University's Kogod School of Business.

The shift reflects how quickly AI tools have moved from experimental novelty to routine academic practice. More than 80% of business students now report using AI for academic purposes within the past six months, with nearly a third deploying it 11 or more times weekly for school or work-related tasks.

Why it matters

While some faculty continue imposing blanket AI bans, the workplace is moving in the opposite direction. The proportion of job interviews that include AI-related questions has quadrupled from 11.6% to 42.6% over the same three-year period. Students recognize this gap and are asking for better preparation to use these tools competently and ethically in professional settings.

Classroom practices evolve rapidly

Casey Evans, interim dean at Kogod, told Axios the school has shifted its approach dramatically since ChatGPT's launch. Initial faculty concerns centered on academic integrity and creating "AI-proof" assignments. That defensive posture proved unsustainable.

"We've moved on pretty quickly from that," Evans said. "We've accepted that this is something that students will use."

The school now takes a more pragmatic approach. Faculty members feed assignments into AI systems, show students the mediocre output, and then guide discussions on how to improve results to higher standards. The goal is teaching students to use AI as one tool among many, rather than treating it as either forbidden or sufficient on its own.

Students express dual concerns

The research reveals tension in student attitudes. While they view AI competency as essential for career readiness, significant concerns persist. Over half of Kogod students worry about academic integrity issues surrounding AI use. Separately, 40% of students in a parallel Inside Higher Ed survey expressed concern that AI is diminishing their ability and their peers' ability to think independently.

Brainstorming emerged as the most popular AI use case over the three-year study period. However, research from Wharton last year found that people generated a broader range of creative ideas using their own thinking and web searches compared to relying on ChatGPT. The solution may lie in combining AI-generated ideas with original human thinking and input from multiple sources.

Broader adoption patterns

The Kogod findings align with other recent studies. An Inside Higher Ed survey of 1,038 students found 85% had used generative AI for coursework in the past year. A Gallup poll from April reported that 57% of U.S. college students use AI at least weekly, with one in five using it daily.

The Kogod study surveyed 483 business students, which may limit generalizability across all academic disciplines and institutions. However, the three-year longitudinal view provides rare insight into how student behavior is evolving as AI tools mature.

Students consistently signal they want clearer institutional guidance on appropriate AI use, ethical boundaries, and strategies for maintaining independent thinking while leveraging these tools. The research underscores that students aren't rejecting AI despite anxieties about their AI-shaped future—they're preparing for it and asking educators to help them do so responsibly.

These findings were first reported by Axios.