The Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Education: Opinions of St. Petersburg Youth

Abstract

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are rapidly permeating all the areas of life, including education, and are becoming a familiar tool for students and schoolchildren. However, the rapid integration of AI into the educational process gives rise to certain contradictions. The paper considers the AI development background, current implementation examples, as well as some theoretical risks, and the results of sociological research.Methodology and materials: The aim of the study is to identify the attitudes of the young people in St Petersburg towards the use of AI in education. The data collection method was a questionnaire survey. The sample was quota-based, and included the students from schools, vocational colleges and universities of Saint Petersburg.Research results and their discussion: The study has revealed that the most popular tools are ChatGPT and Yandex services. The direct correlation was identified: the higher the level of education is, the more regular and conscious the use of AI becomes. It was confirmed that the primary advantage of AI for students is the time saved on routine tasks. However, a «skills gap» was observed: whilst demonstrating a high level of trust in textual information, the respondents showed the low ability in identifying the visual content generated by AI, indicating the overestimation of their own critical competence.Conclusions: The young people in Saint Petersburg perceive AI pragmatically - as a useful tool, rather than a threat. The main factor shaping their attitude is practical utility. Delegating analytical tasks to AI without reflection leads to the decline in the quality of thinking, whilst using it as a «digital assistant» develops certain skills. The practical significance of this work lies in the recommendations for higher education institutions: the shift from the prohibitions to the integration of AI into the teaching process by changing the format of assignments and teaching students to interact competently with the technology. A future direction for research is the development of the methodologies for fostering critical thinking in the context of digitalization.