Academic AI Use Profiles
Excellent Educator, Volume: 2, Issue: 24, Page: 1
Summary of Athar (2025)
Academic Insights
- Students fall into three AI-use profiles: Constructive, Over reliant, Irresponsible.
- Constructive users use AI to support—not replace—thinking.
- Over-reliant users depend on AI for idea generation, structure, and problem-solving.
- Irresponsible users submit unverified AI content and hide AI use.
- Certain personality traits (e.g., disinhibition, antagonism) predict misuse.
- Low self-esteem and anxious attachment increase likelihood of overreliance.
Apply This Now
- Explain the three profiles and let students self-identify where they currently stand.
- Re-design assignments to require visible thinking (annotations, drafts, audio reasoning).
- Normalize ethical AI use: citation, verification, and transparency.
Add This in Your Lesson
Use an “AI decision log” where students record: What AI did, what they did, what they verified.
Avoid This Mistake
Treating all AI use as the same — constructive and irresponsible use require completely different interventions.
Source/Citation
Athar, M. E. (2025). The constructive, overreliant, and irresponsible use of artificial intelligence tools in academia: Personality correlates and implications for academic integrity. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 18, 100679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100679
Suggested Citation: Ross, E., & Malar, D. B. J. (2025). Academic AI Use Profiles. Excellent Educator, 2(24), 1.