General Artifical Intelligence at an African Research-Intensive University
Creators: name: Dube, Sithenjisiwe Wendy
name: Genga, Rodney
name: Weaich, Malcolm Roy
name: Krull, Greig
name: Moosa, Raazia
name: Rahiman, Fatima
name: Dison, Laura
name: MacAlister, Fiona
name: Moch, Shirra
name: Kaneli, Thabang
name: Wagner, Fezile
name: Mnguni, Lindelani
name: Padayachee, Kershree
Publisher: name: University of the Witwatersrand
Year: 2025
Subjects: AI Academic Engagement
AI Literacy Development
Academic Confidence
AI Writing
AI and Ethics
AI and Higher Education

description: First presented locally at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the GAI Project Workshop in March 2025. 

This presentation, delivered by Sithenjisiwe Dube on behalf of the GAI Project at Wits University at a Workshop in 2025, offers a qualitative investigation into student perceptions, experiences, and usage patterns of General Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools within the context of higher education. Drawing on direct student testimonies across diverse faculties, the study captures the nuanced role of AI in supporting academic engagement, literacy development, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while also addressing ethical concerns surrounding its use.

The findings highlight that students actively employ AI tools as literacy assistants, simplifying complex academic texts, paraphrasing dense theoretical material, and contextualising international scholarship within a South African framework. This adaptive use is particularly beneficial in literature-intensive disciplines, where AI aids comprehension and enhances academic confidence.

In addition to reading support, students leverage AI for writing and argumentation, using it to structure essays, refine ideas, and elevate the formality and clarity of their written work. The insights suggest that AI acts as both a creative partner and a linguistic enhancer, particularly valued by students seeking to improve academic writing standards.The study also uncovers divergent views on AI’s impact on critical thinking. While some students utilise AI to stimulate deeper conceptual engagement and self-testing, others express concern over potential over-reliance, fearing it may diminish independent thought and intellectual autonomy. This duality underscores the importance of fostering balanced AI usage that promotes critical engagement rather than passive dependency.

From the perspective of students, GAI emerges as a valuable problem-solving tutor, especially in technical disciplines such as accounting, computer science, and finance. Students report using AI to navigate rule-based tasks, verify tutorial answers, and clarify procedural understanding, positioning AI as a supplementary academic support tool.A critical theme throughout the qualitative data is the lack of institutional guidance on ethical AI use. Students consistently express uncertainty regarding permissible boundaries, citing inconsistent directives across faculties and lecturers. This indicates an urgent need for universities to implement clear frameworks and educational initiatives to ensure responsible, informed engagement with AI technologies.

This qualitative summary contributes to the broader discourse on AI in education by centring student voices and highlighting the practical and ethical challenges inherent in AI adoption within African higher education contexts. The work is currently being prepared for publication, where it will inform policy development and pedagogical strategies aimed at integrating AI responsibly and effectively into academic environments.

This research is currently under consideration for publication, where it will contribute to scholarly debates on the intersection of AI in education, in global higher education contexts. The presentation will be available for downloaded once the article linked to this presentation has been published.

AcknowledgementsFunding for this research was provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) through the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP), which funded the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) project at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

© GAI Project at Wits University