Three in four students worry AI will negatively affect career but more using it

Irish Daily Mirror

24-05-2025

Nearly three in four secondary school students worry Artificial Intelligence will negatively affect their career - but more are using it than ever before, a survey has found.
There is so much worry that 30 per cent are considering alternate professions.
The research, which was carried out by StudyClix, also found one in 10 young adults were planning to actively avoid careers which they think AI will dominate.
While one-in-four said they will consider the impact machine learning bots will have on whatever field they want to go into.
Despite the worry, a third of the students quizzed said they regularly use AI tools like ChatGPT and image generators.
In addition, comparison with previous survey results reveals a growing take-up of AI tools among students, with just one in five (20 per cent) using AI in 2023 versus four in five (81 per cent) of respondents this year.
But the research also highlighted the need for schools to properly address how and when AI should be used.
More than four in five (86 per cent) said that AI has only been mentioned informally in class or not discussed in-depth in terms of its utilisation for homework or exams.
Luke Saunders, a former secondary school teacher and co-founder of Studyclix, said: "The survey results suggest that students are extremely savvy, first in how they use AI, and second in how they are anticipating the ways in which it will impact their future career prospects.
"AI tools are already revolutionising the way that we learn and work, yet schools are already playing catchup with very little guidance or awareness on how to manage AI use in the school setting.
"We would urge school staff to begin taking account of AI development when offering career guidance.
"The concerns of students are founded, and it is credit to them that they recognise the direction in which the technological winds are blowing and are responding accordingly. It's up to schools to do the same and help these students to navigate the uncertainty."
In addition to quizzing students on AI, it also revealed three quarters said their parents do not monitor their online activity.
Digital technology is also a major source of tension in the household after one in five (22 per cent) reported that their phone use is the single biggest cause of conflict between them and their parents.
Meanwhile, almost four in 10 (38 per cent) said their biggest cause of conflict is not studying enough.
Mr Saunders added: "The discovery that three quarters of all respondents are not having their online activities and phone use monitored by a parent is surprising given the public debate earlier this year around Adolescence, the Netflix drama which follows the fallout of a young boy's murder of a female classmate.
"That more are reporting the introduction of rules around phone use in the home, and that phone use has become a significant source of conflict in the home, shows that parents are increasingly aware of the need to curtail phone use.
"However, in that context, it's concerning how little oversight many have over the content their children are consuming."
The survey also found students' favourite social media app was Snapchat followed by TikTok and Instagram - which has been declining in popularity.
Meanwhile, more than one in four (27 per cent) reported encountering racist, homophobic, or sexist online content each day, while three in 10 (30 per cent) said they see it several times a week.
Almost seven in 10 (66 per cent) said the content was most visible on the social platform TikTok, while six in 10 (60 per cent) said Instagram.
The number of students who reported rarely or never seeing racist, sexist, or homophobic comments has decreased over the past 12 months, from 18 per cent in 2024 to 16 per cent in 2025.