WHO HAS ACCESS, WHO USES, AND WHO UNDERSTANDS AI? A Comparative Study of University Students across Diverse Demographic Profiles

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly present in higher education, yet students’ engagement with AI cannot be understood through use alone. Access to AI tools, their integration into academic activity, and students’ competence and awareness may vary across student groups. This study examined demographic differences in overall AI use and three dimensions of AI engagement—AI Accessibility and Availability, AI Usage and Integration, and AI Competence and Awareness—among 441 university students in Lahore, Pakistan. The study used a quantitative survey design and compared reported scores across gender, university type, academic level, CGPA, employment status, and geographical location using independent-samples t-tests and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA). Overall AI use did not differ significantly by gender, university type, employment status, or geographical location. Significant differences were observed by academic level, with MS/MPhil students reporting higher use than BS students (M = 3.73 and M = 3.48, respectively; t(439) = 3.937, p < .001), and across CGPA groups, F(2, 438) = 3.848, p = .022. For accessibility and availability, differences were found by university type, F(3, 437) = 2.731, p = .043, and academic level, with MS/MPhil students reporting higher scores than BS students (M = 3.68 and M = 3.38; t(439) = 4.548, p < .001). AI Usage and Integration differed by academic level, t(439) = 2.014, p = .045. AI Competence and Awareness differed by university type, F(3, 437) = 5.333, p = .001, and academic level, t(439) = 4.412, p < .001; CGPA differences were also reported, F(2, 438) = 3.022, p = .050. The findings indicate that demographic differences are selective across dimensions rather than uniform. As the data are self-reported and cross-sectional, the results describe group differences and do not establish causal relationships.