SHAH ALAM - Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of everyday university life, raising a pressing question for educators and policymakers: how can students embrace AI without becoming dependent on it?
From generating ideas and summarising research to assisting with assignments, tools such as ChatGPT are now widely used by students seeking faster and more efficient ways to learn.
Yet concerns are growing over whether AI is helping students think better — or simply helping them think less.
At the policy level, the debate is not about restricting AI, but ensuring its responsible use.
Higher Education Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim said universities must move beyond traditional approaches and adapt to a changing learning environment.
“It’s not about standardisation or confirmation. It’s about making sure that we can provide some form of flexibility to everyone,” he said, adding that institutions should explore new learning pathways and emerging technologies.
He stressed that AI is unavoidable but must be guided by ethics.
“It’s inevitable. AI will become part of our lives in the very near future. There’s no running away from it.
“If AI is being used as a tool to help students in their studies, we are more than happy to allow that. But there must be ethics,” he said.
While plagiarism detection tools already exist, Adam said universities must strengthen awareness of ethical AI use and may eventually introduce modules on digital and AI ethics.
He emphasised that technology itself is neutral.
“AI is just a technical instrument. What you do with it is up to you,” he added.
At the national level, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said governments are still trying to balance regulation and innovation.
“We always have to strike a balance between curbing innovation and regulating it because we don’t want too many regulations that will limit innovation,” he said.
He noted that many countries have yet to introduce comprehensive AI laws and instead rely on frameworks and guidelines.
Malaysia, he said, is taking a similar approach, with an Artificial Intelligence Governance Bill expected to introduce a risk-based regulatory framework covering accountability, safeguards and harms such as fraud and deepfakes.
While policymakers focus on governance, educators are increasingly concerned about how AI is being used in learning.
Meanwhile, UOW Malaysia lecturer Dr Muhammad Naim Muhamad Ali said AI is useful when used appropriately, but warned that many students lack sufficient media and information literacy.
“The concern is that students use AI as a shortcut without checking whether the information is correct or reliable,” he said.
Naim said students should treat AI as a support tool rather than a replacement for thinking.
“Use AI to build structure, find ideas, or assist with writing. Don’t simply take answers directly from it,” he said.
He warned that traditional learning processes — reading widely, verifying sources, and refining arguments — are often compressed when AI is used uncritically, reducing opportunities for deeper understanding.
“When students skip those steps, they may complete tasks but fail to understand the process behind them,” he said.
To address this, he suggested universities rethink assessment methods, placing more emphasis on presentations, projects and practical work rather than written assignments alone.
“If we only assess written work, are we measuring understanding or just writing quality?” he said.
He added that overreliance on AI leads to “cognitive offloading”, where students outsource thinking to technology instead of engaging deeply with material.
Social psychologist Dr Adnan Omar echoed this concern, saying excessive reliance on AI may weaken critical thinking and shorten attention span.
“AI may reduce reflective thinking and create passive learners by providing ready-made answers,” he said.
He stressed that education is not only about answers but about developing reasoning, decision-making and problem-solving skills through effort and reflection.