Widely used, barely trusted? Understanding student perceptions on the use of Generative AI tools in Higher Education

With the increasing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in everyday tasks, its potential to transform the learning experience has gained significant attention. However, concerns have been raised relating to the use of GAI as a threat to academic integrity, the lack of accuracy of its outputs, and its potential to hinder critical engagement in learning. While HE institutions globally have warned against the unregulated use of AI-generated content, the prevailing approach is to guide students in the ethical and transparent use of GAI tools. This research, based on primary data from a questionnaire involving undergraduate and postgraduate students across several UK HE institutions, aims to explore student perspectives on issues such as plagiarism, reliability of outputs, and the impact of GAI on the learning process; and how these perspectives vary across genders and domicile status (domestic vs. international students). Our findings show that students who identify as men report a higher frequency of GAI usage than women and that international students have more liberal standards regarding academic integrity compared to their UK counterparts.