Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping university classrooms, but a University of Pittsburgh study reveals they’re also fueling anxiety, distrust, and division among students. In focus groups with 95 students conducted in spring 2025, researchers found that AI’s rise is disrupting not only learning but also relationships with peers and faculty.

Students reported using AI for study help, feedback on assignments, or when facing time constraints or “busy work.” Many found chatbots less intimidating than professors, with one noting, “ChatGPT doesn’t judge you.” However, this reliance comes with guilt over ethical concerns or appearing lazy, and some feel resigned to AI’s inevitable role in their futures.

Confusion reigns over unclear AI policies, with students sensing faculty opposition but lacking clear guidelines. “We’re not on the same page with teachers or even individually,” an urban planning major said. Distrust also festers among peers, as students resent classmates who lean heavily on AI, especially in group projects. “It’s more work for me, double-checking yours,” a political science major lamented. Fears of being outpaced by AI-using peers or falsely accused of cheating heighten tensions.

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These dynamics threaten academic engagement, a key to student success. To counter this, researchers suggest universities prioritize in-person connections, encourage office hour visits, and foster faculty-student mentoring. The study underscores the need to listen to students navigating AI’s complex impact, as it shapes not just their education but their relationships and trust in the classroom.

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