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Studying in the Age of AI – A Look Beyond National Borders

How exactly do students incorporate artificial intelligence into their learning processes and daily academic life? And how do these practices differ between Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the rest of the world? These questions were the focus of an international workshop held on November 4, 2026, featuring researchers from Germany, the UK, and the US. The workshop was organized by Project P9 “ComAI in Education” from the “Communicative AI” research group.

In an interactive format, Dr. Jannica Budde from the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung and the Center for Higher Education (CHE) in Germany, Dr. Rose Stephenson from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) in Oxford, Dr. Igor Chirikov from the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) at UC Berkeley, Prof. Dr. Isak Frumin from Constructor University Bremen, and Prof. Dr. Olaf Zawacki-Richter from the University of Oldenburg presented their latest findings. The workshop provided an opportunity to examine different perspectives on students’ use of AI and to discover interesting similarities and differences, such as in institutional frameworks and cultural characteristics.

The data presented showed that the use of AI among students has risen steadily worldwide in recent years; up to 95% of respondents reported using AI for various academic purposes. This varies depending on the field of study and area of application. While students experience ambivalent emotions when using AI (e.g., uncertainty and fear that their own achievements will be devalued, as well as feelings of isolation), they simultaneously have high expectations for AI-supported tools. Many view AI as a tool for improving their academic performance and easing the burden of daily student life. This tension between concern and expectation highlights that the use of AI also raises questions about self-efficacy in academic studies and influences confidence in one’s own learning process.

The concluding group discussion proved to be particularly inspiring. A key and valuable suggestion that emerged from it was that students should be actively involved in shaping the framework for AI use—from developing policies and formulating ethical guidelines to designing training programs—since their perspective is valuable to universities and formative for them as individuals. Only when students are viewed as partners—rather than as the target audience of these measures—can a genuine, trusting dialogue emerge at universities.

It also became clear that the challenges of AI use are not uniform across the globe. Cultural differences in adoption, acceptance, and institutional support shape how AI is used. Therefore, it is necessary to continue an international dialogue. Only in this way can we understand the (raw) survey data and apply the insights to a sustainable transformation of higher education.

Team ComAI extends its heartfelt thanks to the speakers who presented their exciting research findings and made this valuable exchange possible.