Towards an AI Buddy for every University Student? Exploring Students' Experiences, Attitudes and Motivations towards AI and AI-based Study Companions

2026-03-21

AI Summary

This study addresses the empirical gap regarding university students’ experiences with and competencies in generative AI, as well as their willingness to adopt personalized AI learning companions. Through a survey of 926 students at Swiss higher education institutions, it systematically examines acceptance of an “AI Buddy” concept designed to support learners throughout their academic journey and investigates its relationship with traditional learning motivations. Findings indicate that students are generally receptive to adopting an AI Buddy to enhance learning efficiency and receive personalized support, yet they express concerns about privacy risks and potential overreliance. While the AI Buddy may substitute certain information-seeking behaviors, it does not diminish students’ motivation for social learning. Based on these insights, the study proposes design principles for AI learning companions that balance educational value with robust privacy safeguards.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Learning Human Values and Preferences
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Privacy & Security
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization
• Social Networks and Social Media: Generative AI / large language models and their impact on social systems
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Trust and reliance of crowd workers and data experts on GenAI

Abstract

Despite the widespread integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in higher education, there is limited empirical insight into students' experiences, competences, and readiness to adopt personalized AI companions. To address this gap, this study investigates three key questions: (RQ1) What are students' prior experiences with AI tools, their perceived digital and AI-related competences, and their interest in emerging technologies?; (RQ2) How do students perceive a hypothetical "AI Buddy" (a digital companion designed to support students throughout their academic journey) including adoption, benefits, and concerns?; (RQ3) How does students' willingness to adopt an AI Buddy relate to motivations for engaging in traditional academic activities? Based on a survey of 926 students at a Swiss university, students revealed widespread prior use of AI, primarily for text-based and productivity tasks, with moderate self-assessed digital competence. Students expressed strong enthusiasm for adopting an AI Buddy, valuing its potential for time efficiency, personalized academic support, and study organization, but expressed significant concerns about data privacy and over-reliance. A weak negative correlation emerged between AI Buddy adoption willingness and motivations for attending lectures or using library resources, while social and collaborative motivations remained unaffected. These findings suggest that AI Buddies may partially replace information-seeking behaviours but preserve the social fabric of university life. This study provides practical recommendations including the need for robust privacy protections and critical engagement strategies to ensure AI Buddies enhance, rather than undermine, the academic and communal value of higher education.

Problem

• AI Buddy
• student attitudes
• generative AI
• higher education
• AI adoption

Innovation

• AI Buddy
• generative AI in education
• student adoption
• personalized learning companion
• digital competence