Gen-AI Students: When Deadlines Are No Longer a Horror

The pressure of academic deadlines is no longer the source of dread it once was for many Indonesian university students, thanks to the widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity have become indispensable assistants, capable of generating writing frameworks, gathering initial references, and alleviating immediate anxiety with just a few prompts.

This shift has profoundly altered the academic landscape over the past two years. AI is now a common sight in libraries and coffee shops, used by students to tackle thick journals, draft presentations, overcome writer's block, rephrase content to avoid plagiarism, and quickly grasp complex lecture theories. The convenience offered by AI has fundamentally changed how students approach their studies.

However, this reliance on AI is not without its critics. A key question emerging is whether students are intelligently adapting to the digital age or merely taking shortcuts that erode critical thinking and deep learning processes. While some students engage with AI as a critical discussion partner to refine their arguments, others are accused of wholesale copying, leading to a "new style of plagiarism."

The result is a growing concern about academic work becoming homogenized. Essays and assignments are increasingly displaying uniform structures, lacking the personal character and original "soul" of the student. This phenomenon, viewed through the lens of social psychology, suggests that student behavior is heavily influenced by group norms, peer habits, and the academic environment's emphasis on efficiency and speed, normalizing the use of AI as a standard tool.