Higher education students’ perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions

The paper presents the most comprehensive and large-scale global study to date on how
higher education students perceived the use of ChatGPT in early 2024. With a sample of
23,218 students from 109 countries and territories, the study reveals that students primarily
used ChatGPT for brainstorming, summarizing texts, and finding research articles, with a
few using it for professional and creative writing. They found it useful for simplifying complex
information and summarizing content, but less reliable for providing information and supporting classroom learning, though some considered its information clearer than that from
peers and teachers. Moreover, students agreed on the need for AI regulations at all levels
due to concerns about ChatGPT promoting cheating, plagiarism, and social isolation.