Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how students learn, write and study, leaving universities across the country asking the same question: how should AI fit into higher education?

Despite these concerns, Sidney Palmer, AI officer with the University's executive office, said the University is choosing to embrace the technology rather than resist it.

“If I were to describe the tone of the University, I would say it's very pro-AI," said Palmer. "I think President Meredith does believe it's here to stay, and he's very, very pro in supporting that.”

Part of the strategy for figuring out how to use AI on campus is to use it correctly, not ban it. The CES Honor Code asks students to be honest and to use tools like AI in ways that don't involve cheating or plagiarism.

Palmer explained that students need to familiarize themselves with AI. He stressed the fact that AI helps grow soft skills and a general knowledge of how to use these tools.

“We want students to not only know what AI is, but also how to use it, and to be able to then demonstrate that when they're graduated, that they've got things on their resume,” Palmer said. “The experiences that they've had that show their capacity in using AI, or that they've got the kind of soft skills...that are going to be useful in an AI future.”

In order to get a feeling for how BYU-Idaho students view and use AI, university faculty created a survey. This survey, conducted by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment in Spring 2025, asked students how they feel about AI and what they use it for.

Results of the data

“We felt like we needed to set a baseline for how students are viewing AI and how much they’re using it [and] what they’re using it for," said Ben Fryar, Managing Director of Institutional Research and one of the survey creators. "We put together a survey to kind of get a sense from students of how they’re using it.”

To find the data, Fryar and Christofferson received 256 responses from students on the following questions:

• In a normal week, how many times do you use AI tools as a student?
• How do you use AI as a student?
• I trust AI tools to provide accurate information (strongly disagree to strongly agree).
• AI will become an essential part of most professions (I don't know to strongly agree).
• I am concerned that AI tools will make it harder for me to find a job after graduation (I don't know to strongly agree).

From this, Fryar was able to glean how BYUI students currently view and use AI tools.

The data reports that 33% of students use AI at least one to five times per week. Meanwhile, 6% of students use it 25 or more times per week and 29% don't use it at all.

The survey also asked students how they felt about AI. When asked if they trusted AI tools to "provide accurate information," 44% said that they somewhat agree while 23% disagreed to some extent.

About 70% of students agreed at least a little bit that AI would be an essential part of their professions. Finally, 45% of students expressed some concern about AI making it harder for them to find employment in the future.

Why this matters

This survey provides a baseline for the university to know students' general opinions and current use of generative AI. After all, Palmer said students need to know how to use these tools since entry-level jobs are "being taken over by AI."

“If you really want to make yourself fire proof, you want to start to develop some capacity and experience with AI," Palmer said.

According to Palmer, generative AI tools are not going anywhere soon. College students should know how to use these tools as they prepare for future careers.

“I don't think this stuff is going away, I don't think it's a flash in the pan," Palmer said. "I think this is something we have to kind of find a way to navigate and prepare for. I'm not going to force anybody to use it, but I will provide them with what I see as the data that's out there that suggests that a burying-your-head-in-the-sand approach is not going to be productive.”

Palmer said that students wanting to find out more information on generative AI and University standards relating to it can go to the BYUI gen AI webpage.