Study: Many Chinese students are motivated to learn AI due to ‘guilt and shame,’ not enjoyment

A new study published this week in the journal Science of Learning found many university students in China are using AI tools not out of their own interest or enjoyment, but rather because they feel pressured and shamed into it.

AI is becoming a burgeoning application in higher education, with the younger generation out in front: a February SurveyMonkey report found more than 60% of Gen Z reported using AI for learning.

But AI’s ubiquity in Gen Z’s college lives doesn’t tell the full story of how students feel about the integration of the technology in their classrooms. Researchers in China found that fewer students were motivated to use AI due to intrinsic motivation, or wanting to learn to use the technology because they feel they would enjoy it or gain something from it.

“This meant that many students learned AI primarily out of guilt or shame and not because of personal enjoyment,” the study authors wrote. 

Beyond students feeling the need to keep up with their changing educational landscape as more institutions recognize uses for AI, students in China in particular may fear “losing face” around peers, with the rejection of AI learning seen potentially as a sign they are inferior or lagging behind their cohort.

“Consequently, the concerns for preserving one’s self-image could drive students to prioritize introjected regulation in AI learning, as they want to get approval and avoid negative judgments from peers and significant others,” the study said.

Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivations to use AI

But as AI has transformed the labor market, pressure to learn these tools is mounting for young people preparing to enter the workforce, contributing to extrinsic motivations to use AI, according to Stephen Aguilar, a professor of education at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.

“A lot of students are in a position where they recognize that the future of their employment or the future of their livelihoods are somewhat dependent on understanding what AI is and how to use it capably,” he told Fortune. 

Indeed, Microsoft’s layoff total for this year swelled to 15,000 in July after the tech company shed 9,000 workers as part of its continued effort to streamline operations by embracing AI.

But students driven to use AI by external factors may…