Magazine reporters visited the 12 upperclassmen Houses and Annenberg, asking undergraduates to complete a survey sharing their thoughts about artificial intelligence. 303 survey responses were collected over the course of one week.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents say they opt for ChatGPT when using AI. Harvard offers ChatGPT Edu to students, a version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched for educational institutions in 2024, though this program will terminate in June 2026. An existing agreement with Google already gives Harvard students access to Gemini, and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences plans to provide students access to Anthropic’s Claude.

On average, students say they use artificial intelligence to complete 34.5 percent of their homework. 106 students — about a third of respondents — report using AI for less than 20 percent of their schoolwork. More than 13 percent say they use AI for between 70 and 100 percent of their classwork.

This usage varies by field, with math, computation, and engineering students completing more than twice as much of their homework with AI, on average, than arts and humanities students.

About 65 percent of students say they believe the prevalence of AI will hurt their job prospects, with students in the life sciences most hopeful about the impact of AI on their future careers.

Students who are concerned about the prevalence of AI hurting their job prospects opt to use AI less frequently in their coursework than those who believe it will help their job prospects.

Nearly 40 percent of students admit to regularly using AI for coursework in ways their instructor may view as inappropriate or against class policy. While some students say class AI policies are not always clear, two thirds of students agree that they “always” or “often” understand their instructors’ rules on AI use.

More than 50 percent of students say artificial intelligence helps them learn and understand course materials. Students studying engineering and physical sciences are most likely to cite AI as helpful, while students studying arts and humanities are most likely to view AI’s effects as harmful to learning.

The more that students use AI for their coursework, the more likely they are to feel strongly that AI is either helping or hurting their learning.

—A number of FM staff members contributed reporting to this story.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Magazine Chair Kate J. Kaufman can be reached at [email protected].

—Magazine associate editor Jona P. Liu can be reached at [email protected].