Half of the students pursuing higher education in the United States have said that mastering artificial intelligence (AI) is the most important competence they expect to acquire during their college years, according to a new grammar survey.
The survey of 2,000 students registered in study programs in American colleges underlined the rapid adoption of AI technology on campuses and its need for future success.
Why it matters
AI quickly went from a theoretical concept to a fundamental aspect of education and preparing for labor.
The trend comes in the middle of the debate between educators and decision -makers on the best way to integrate AI into academic environments. AI education defenders argue that such skills are essential to navigate an increasingly automated world, while criticism highlights challenges such as academic honesty, privacy and the need to balance digital tools with human interaction.
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What to know
About 62% of students consider that the responsibility of AI is essential to their future careers, according to the grammar report, indicating that the literacy of AI emerges as a central component of the value proposal of higher education.
Almost three -quarters of the respondents said their schools had established policies for using AI, reflecting how students and institutions are adapting to new realities caused by rapid technological change.
The survey, which was conducted by the research Grammarly and the Talker based on the responses of 2,000 students from July 1 to 9, showed that the vast majority of students already use AI in their university life.
While 87% of participants said they were already using AI for academic purposes, with an average of five hours per week, 90% use AI tools for non -academic life activities.
“Most products like Chatgpt, Grok, Gemini have a free offer and low barriers to use, encouraging exploration,” said Darren Kimura, CEO of Ai Squared, said Nowsweek.
“In addition, the capacity that AI can produce today as coding tasks, writing or collaboration, align closely with the work of technical and creative professionals in the country, increasing its use in the workplace.”
Despite a widespread use of AI, 55% of students said they said they are sailing on AI without sufficient guidance. Almost half (46%) spoke concerned about the possible impact for improper use, 10% indicating that they had problems linked to the use of AI at school.
Students used AI for a variety of academic needs, including brainstorming ideas (49%), grammar and spelling checks (42%) and understanding difficult concepts (41%). Others have exploited AI for the tasks they may be embarrassed to discuss in person (29%) or for life advice (25%).
Institutional responses to the use of AI varied considerably.
Schools with policies in place, 30% have enabled the use of AI for specified assignments, 31% allowed general use with an appropriate quote and 32% of AI prohibition. Despite the rules and 69% of students who said the teachers discussed it, only 11% of students said they had been encouraged to use AI in their studies.
Another different survey of world students in 2025 by Digital Education Council revealed that 86% of international university students use AI in their studies, with Chatgpt, Grammarly and Microsoft Copilot listed among the most frequently used tools.
However, labor experts warn against improper use of AI for the next generation of workers.
“AI can be a powerful tool, a complement to the existing workforce. But only if it is associated with a human judgment, ethics and a lens focused on workers,” said Bryan Driscoll, HR consultant, Bryan Driscoll Nowsweek. “Real competence is not only AI everywhere and everywhere. It is knowing when AI is not the right adjustment.”
What people say
Darren Kimura, CEO of Ai Squared, said Nowsweek:: “AI today really concerns the increase in tasks but not full automation, which means that it increases humans productivity without removing them from the equation.”
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll said Nowsweek:: “AI changes a lot of things and helps put certain things into perspective. It also changes the workplace faster than colleges cannot follow. But the danger treats AI as a magic solution. If we continue to channel students in technological skills without teaching them how to think critically, we establish them to be excessive, substitutable and subcontracted.
What happens next
While AI continues to proliferate through campuses, university establishments are facing pressure to formalize advice, improve teachers' training and students and update programs to reflect the evolutionary role of technology.
“There will probably be a major reskilling of the workforce because the AI will replace the levels of entry level. I predict a boon for community colleges and universities while workers turn to Reskill,” said Kimura. “Managers must learn to manage AI workers because they had to manage human workers.”