Natalya Ye. Esenina

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the educational process of a modern university is one of the most important areas for improving the university's digital educational environment. The authors propose a hypothesis about the desire of students to use AI tools in all possible cases, both in learning and scientific activities. The aim of the study is to express the opinion of students about the use of AI in educational and research activities at the university. In the course of the research, theoretical methods were used, which consisted in analysing and systematizing the provisions of domestic and foreign scientific literature on the research problem. Empirical methods were implemented in the process of conducting an online survey of students at a technical university – Ryazan State Radio Engineering University named after V. F. Utkin. The survey involved 537 respondents aged 18 to 24 years and older, 70% of them were male and 30% were female. It has been revealed that at the moment students actively use ChatGPT in their learning activities, but they do it very carefully and cautiously. There is an understanding that AI can make mistakes, convey subjectivity, bias, and inaccuracy from texts by various authors. It is concluded that the use of neural networks and AI technologies is a strategic direction for the development of the educational process in modern universities. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that, based on the analysis of scientific works by Russian and foreign authors, survey materials of students and their own experience, the authors found out: the didactic importance of more active development of analytical and critical thinking among students; the directions of their training in correct ways of interacting with AI in the educational and scientific activity; the necessity of developing digital didactics in relation to the level of higher education is substantiated. The theoretical significance lies in enriching the theory of vocational education in terms of developing a set of issues to identify students' attitudes to the use of neural networks and AI technologies and in providing the academic community with an analysis of the student survey results. The practical significance lies in the possibility of applying the research results in the process of working with university students, to develop digital didactics in order to deepen and expand the potential of using neural networks and AI technologies, to explain to students the legitimacy of using the newest technologies.