95% of Cal State Students Use AI, but Most Don't Trust It
Nearly every student in the California State University system has used artificial intelligence tools, yet the majority worry about job security and want a say in how campuses adopt AI. That's the finding of a survey of more than 80,000 students, faculty and staff across CSU's 22 campuses - the largest study of its kind in higher education.
The survey, released Wednesday and conducted by San Diego State faculty, found that 95% of CSU students reported using an AI tool. Among them, 84% used ChatGPT, and 82% worry that AI will harm their job prospects.
Faculty are split on whether AI helps or hurts teaching. Just over 55% reported positive benefits, while 52% said AI has had a negative impact so far.
The Consistency Problem
Students face conflicting rules depending on their professor. In some classes, instructors encourage AI use. In others, they forbid it entirely. One student wrote: "Please just tell us what to do and be clear about it."
Katie Karroum, vice president of systemwide affairs for the Cal State Student Association, said the variation is the real problem. "Both of these things are allowed to coexist right now without a policy," she said. "There are going to be students who are graduating with AI literacy and some that graduate without AI literacy."
San Diego State responded to the 2023 survey complaints by requiring faculty to include AI use policies in their course syllabi starting in 2025. Yet only 68% of teaching faculty currently do so across the CSU system.
Job Market Anxiety
Students feel pressure to learn AI or risk falling behind. A computer science major wrote: "Even though I don't want to use it, I HAVE TO! Because if I don't, then I'll be left behind, and that is the last thing someone would want in this stupid job market."
First-generation students and Black, Hispanic and Latino students expressed stronger interest in formal AI training than white students. Students want training tied to their careers, not generic chatbot instruction. One mechanical engineering student said: "I want to learn AI tools that are actually used in my industry, not just generic chatbots."
San Diego State now requires students to earn a micro-credential in AI use during their first year.
What Comes Next
In February 2025, the CSU system announced an agreement with OpenAI to make ChatGPT available throughout the system. The system will also work with Adobe, Google, IBM, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft and NVIDIA.
The California Faculty Association, representing about 29,000 educators in the CSU system, said faculty must be included in future systemwide decisions about AI. The group asked for "protections for using or refusing to use the technology, professional development resources to adapt pedagogy to incorporate the technology, and further protections for faculty intellectual property."
Elisa Sobo, a professor of anthropology at San Diego State involved in analyzing the survey, said the data should help campuses make informed decisions. "We have data that show high use, but we also have high levels of concern, very valid concern, to help people be responsible when they use it."
The survey dashboard allows users to search specific campus and discipline data and view responses by demographic group - a tool other CSU campuses can use to develop their own AI policies.
Your membership also unlocks:
