WORLD VIEW09 September 2026As artificial-intelligence tools become crucial collaborators in science, universities must teach students to challenge such systems and assess their ability to do so.ByMarc Schmitt0Marc SchmittMarc Schmitt is a researcher at the University of Oxford, UK.View author publicationsSearch author on: PubMed Google ScholarSave articleView saved researchGenerative artificial intelligence is now woven into academic life. In the United Kingdom, a March survey found that 94% of undergraduates use the technology to complete assessed coursework (see go.nature.com/45pced3). The scientific literature shows a similar shift: more than half of papers published in 2025 show linguistic traces of large language models (LLMs), compared with about one in ten in 20231.This trend has alarmed educators and researchers, who worry that AI models could erode critical thinking and flood the scientific record with low-quality work. Yet as a regular user of AI tools and a researcher at the University of Oxford, UK, who studies how the technology reshapes decision-making in financial markets, I think the alarmists are getting it wrong.Gen Z scepticism towards AI is a wake-up call — universities must take it seriouslyGood intellectual sparring partners are scarce. To have someone who will challenge your reasoning, hold you to your evidence and push back on your arguments in real time, you need a strong teacher, a sharp colleague or the right seminar audience. Most people never get the opportunity. What LLMs offer, for the first time, is broad access to a capable counterpart that will reason with you on demand. This redistributes intellectual firepower.Paradoxically, the dominant story runs the other way, casting AI models as a threat to human thought. The worry is that students will stop thinking and researchers will increasingly outsource scientific judgement to a LLM. Those concerns are real, but they are aimed at the wrong object. The danger is not AI itself. It is passive use: treating the machine as a source of finished answers, when its value comes from active engagement.Most researchers know that scientific ideas do not arrive fully formed. They emerge through conversation and repeated attempts to articulate them clearly. Scientists can now have these intellectual exchanges with AI models at any time and in most places, with a searchable transcript of the discussion available on demand.Why universities need to radically rethink exams in the age of AINature 657, 575 (2026)doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02846-1ReferencesSiler, K. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 123, e2605754123 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Kosmyna, N. et al. Preprint at arXiv https://doi.org/g9qwv2 (2025).Bastani, H. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 122, e2422633122 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Download referencesCompeting InterestsThe author declares no competing interests. Gen Z scepticism towards AI is a wake-up call — universities must take it seriously Why universities need to radically rethink exams in the age of AI AI can spark creativity — if we ask it how, not what, to think I caught my students using AI to cheat in an exam — here’s what universities must do to stamp this outSubjectsEducationMachine learningScientific communityLatest on:EducationMachine learningScientific communityJobs Global Scientist Interdisciplinary Forum • Autumn 2026Southern University of Science and Technology, School of Medicine & School of Public Health and Emergency ManagementShenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaSouthern University of Science and Technology, School of MedicineSir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Warmly Welcomes Talents AbroadQiushi Chair Professor; Qiushi Distinguished Scholar; ZJU 100 Young Researcher; Distinguished researcherNo. 3, Qingchun East Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang (CN)Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Affiliated with Zhejiang University School of MedicineGlobal Recruitment of Outstanding Young TalentsWe are seeking exceptional candidates who qualify for the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars (Overseas)1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055 P. R. ChinaShenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences（CAS)Seeking Global Talents at All Levels - SIATWe find Distinguished PIs, Senior PIs, Junior PIs, Senior Engineer, Junior Engineer, Post-doctoral fellow, Assistant research fellow.1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055 P. R. ChinaShenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences（CAS)Faculty Positions in Systems Hub, HKUST (GZ)Tenure-track and tenured faculty positions at all ranks (Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor)Guangzhou, Guangdong (CN)The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)