College student are booing commencement speakers mentioning AI, but still use it to cheat on exams

College student are booing commencement speakers mentioning AI, but still use it to cheat on exams

College student are booing commencement speakers mentioning AI, but still use it to cheat on exams

https://fortune.com/2026/05/19/college-students-booing-commencement-speakers-ai-cheating-cognitive-dissonance/

Publish Date: 2026-05-19 04:00:00

Source Domain: fortune.com

Here’s an unordered list encapsulating 5 key points from the article:

  • Mixed Attitudes Toward AI: College students today express clear disapproval of AI during commencement speeches but rapidly adopt AI tools for their coursework. This paradoxical relationship reflects underlying fears and practical necessities.

  • High AI Tool Usage: A significant number of U.S. college students, approximately 77% according to the Lumina Foundation-Gallup study, use AI tools on a weekly basis, driven by both necessity and peer influence.

  • Cheating and AI: Some educators report students using AI to cheat on exams, a trend attributed to the widespread availability of AI tools and the students’ perceived need to keep pace with peers.

  • Job Market Concerns: Recent graduates are apprehensive about AI potentially displacing many jobs; yet, the technology’s ubiquity in both education and the labor market rationalizes their AI use, even when it involves cheating.

  • Cognitive Dissonance and Educational Responsibility: Experts highlight a form of cognitive dissonance where students feel AI could hinder their learning but still use it to avoid falling behind, blaming educational institutions for not adequately preparing students for a future shaped by AI.