Student Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence: Challenges, Opportunities, and Societal Implications

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) presents unique advancements in technology that involve both challenges and opportunities. However, student perspectives regarding the multifaceted impact of AI are less known in the current literature. To address this gap, the current study was undertaken to explore social work students’ perceptions and concerns associated with AI technologies. Materials and Methods: We conducted structured interviews with students (n = 15) in social work programs. We developed an interview guide with a list of questions to ask students, and no prior knowledge of AI was required by the students. Results: The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach that resulted in five themes: 1) Increased efficiency, 2) Ethical considerations, 3) Risk concerns, 4) Psychological impacts, and 5) Societal impacts. Discussion: The social work discipline needs to augment efforts into research on the utility of AI in social services delivery and social work education. There is also a need to explore students’ perspectives on the use of AI technologies and the potential ways in which these technologies can be used by educators and social work professionals to increase efficiency in social services while mitigating identified risks, ethical concerns, and psychosocial impacts. Recommendations are made regarding digital literacy, enhanced student learning, ethics, and accreditation standards. Conclusion: Our study highlights the need to gain an understanding of how AI technologies influence human perception and provides recommendations for better integration of AI in social work educational curricula and ways to promote AI among students, given its ethical implications and practical application.