As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes academic environments, it is vital to understand how students experience and evaluate these tools. This presentation shares experience and findings from a pilot study conducted in autumn 2024 at the University of Iceland, where graduate students were given full autonomy in using AI tools during a distance-learning course in Information Science. The research project aimed to utilize students’ input to develop an extensive survey that would explore how Icelandic university students perceive the role of AI in their academic development, with implications for future institutional policy and pedagogy.

A SurveyMonkey questionnaire was distributed to 15 active students enrolled in the course, of whom twelve participated, resulting in an 80% response rate. The survey included 56 questions: nine statement groups containing 67 Likert-scale items, questions about the use of 65 different AI tools, and nine open-ended questions. The survey included six core themes:
(1) students’ purposes for using AI;
(2) the tools they employed;
(3) their attitudes toward AI;
(4) its perceived academic impact;
(5) ethical concerns; and
(6) their expectations for institutional support.

While students widely appreciated AI for its time-saving benefits and support in understanding complex topics, writing, and search tasks, many also expressed cautious optimism. Curiosity, efficiency, and creativity emerged as strong motivators, but concerns about reliability, privacy, and ethical implications persisted. Notably, none of the participants expressed complete trust in AI-generated results.

Students’ feedback also helped refine the survey instrument, illustrating the value of co-creating research tools. Moreover, the study employed generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini Flash, Microsoft CoPilot) not only as objects of inquiry but also as aids in research design and presentation, demonstrating their dual role in contemporary educational inquiry.

This pilot study forms the foundation for a larger institutional study planned for autumn 2025 and contributes to ongoing dialogue about student agency, ethical literacy, and institutional responsibility in an AI-enhanced academic landscape. We hope that sharing the survey development, results, and our experiences working with the students’ feedback will be useful for colleagues who plan to carry out similar investigations.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, student perspectives, higher education, AI ethics, survey research, generative AI, academic integrity.