When Brian Mwangi, a third-year Industrial Chemistry student at Kenyatta University, sits down for assignments, his first stop is often an AI chatbot.
“AI has positive and negative impacts. It helps a lot. If one has many assignments involving research, for instance, AI makes everything easy. I use it for almost 80 per cent of my work,” he says.
For Mwangi and tens of thousands of university students, AI has become an academic lifeline and a potential crutch – revolutionising learning but raising questions on the future of education.
Algorithmic research assistants have replaced crowding in libraries while group study sessions have been supplanted by instant summarising tools.
For young people balancing coursework, part-time jobs and personal commitments, AI promises salvation from academic overload.
Many university and college students say the real skill lies not just in knowing the subject matter, but in having the knowledge to command AI tools.
“Research is demanding for science students. AI breaks down complex topics, generates outlines and even prepares revision notes. Work that used to take hours is now covered in minutes,” Mwangi says.
Benedict Evelia, a student at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology, credits AI with transforming his diploma studies in banking.
“I was referred to AI by a friend. It is reliable, especially when doing assignments,” Evelia says.
He is, however, quick to add that he does not submit AI-generated work to his instructors blindly.
“I use it for personal gain. I compile it with lecture notes and see if the end product is good. If you frame questions wrongly, it won’t provide the required answers. It comes down to how one places the questions,” he says.
For Victor Mungai, an undergraduate in Nursing at Kibabii University, AI has been an ally.
“It makes work easy with simplified feedback. The challenge is using monetised sites. For accurate results, one must pay. Unfortunately, it can also mislead a student,” Mungai says.
Phidel Nekesa, a Bachelor of Business Management student at Kiriri Women’s University of Science and Technology, calls AI a study companion that never sleeps.
“When I’m working on a topic, especially one that’s broad or unfamiliar, I use AI to break it into simpler parts. It doesn’t, however, replace my input but provides a starting point,” she says.
For Faith Nekesa, a third-year Education student at Kenyatta University, AI has become a trusted guide. She turns to it to simplify difficult tasks, break down complex questions and provide points to build on.
“AI helps define and simplify the work,” she says.
She is, however, quick to admit that AI is not always accurate. Nekesa says she uses it as a supplement, not a replacement.
Recognising AI’s inevitability, universities are shifting from resistance to regulation. The University of Nairobi has made AI literacy mandatory.
“We’re not banning the technology but teaching students to use it ethically – as a supplement to critical thinking, not a substitute,” says UoN Corporate Affairs Director John Orindi.
