Mollie O’Connor

• Why Students use AI: Exploring the Motivating Factors in Students’ use of Large Language Models (LLMs)
• BSc Hons Psychology with Professional Placement

Access to large language models (LLMs) has proliferated, providing sophisticated tools capable of simulating detailed and accurate conversations (e.g., ChatGPT). Recent reports suggest university students’ adoption of LLMs may be driven by feelings of uncertainty, with social anxieties uniquely predicting problematic use of AI, contributing to an overreliance on these tools during their education. Despite substantial anecdotal and qualitative research on the reasons students use LLMs, there are limited quantitative measures which can reliability assess these motivations. Thus, this project developed a questionnaire capturing why students use LLMs, with 4 major factors emerging at this stage: Mental Health/Socialisation, Study Aid, Perceived Effectiveness and Hedonistic Motivation. It is vital to understand how students use these tools to best inform implementation of AI into educational, professional, and mental health practices and understanding the factors which promote use of LLMs can inform our understanding of the risk factors for AI dependence.