Study Reveals Students' Views on AI Ethics and Use in Education
Copyleaks released Part 2 of its 2025 AI in Education Trends Report, focusing on how students use artificial intelligence in their studies and how they perceive ethics and authorship in this evolving landscape.
AI Integration into Academic Life
The 2025 survey, conducted among over 1,000 U.S. students, found that AI has become deeply embedded in learning. In Part 1 of the report, 90% of participants said they use AI for academic purposes, and nearly 29% rely on it daily. Students use these tools for tasks such as brainstorming, summarizing, and improving writing efficiency.
Ethics and Policy Violation
Despite increasing acceptance, ethical perspectives remain divided. Almost half of surveyed students—48%—acknowledged using AI in ways that breach school rules, yet most did not see their actions as unethical. This finding underscores a gap between institutional policies and student attitudes toward responsible use.
Blurred Lines of Authorship
When it comes to ownership and originality, 43% of students revealed their final work includes both human and AI inputs, illustrating how distinctions between human authorship and machine assistance are fading.
“Nearly half of students admit to using AI in violation of school policies, but did not consider it wrong.”
Copyleaks' Examination of AI in Education
Copyleaks, a leader in AI-driven content authenticity, continues to assess how students and educators can align evolving learning tools with ethical and academic standards.
Author’s summary: The Copyleaks 2025 study exposes how student reliance on AI is reshaping academic ethics, revealing both normalization of the technology and confusion around integrity.