cs.CYMar 19, 2026

Student views in AI Ethics and Social Impact

Authors: Tudor-Dan Mihoc, Manuela-Andreea Petrescu, Emilia-Loredana Pop

Organizations: Department of Computer Science, Babes Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

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Abstract

An investigation, from a gender perspective, of how students view the ethical implications and societal effects of artificial intelligence is conducted, examining concepts that could have a big influence on how artificial intelligence may be taught in the future. For this, we conducted a survey on a cohort of 230 second year computer science students to reveal their opinions. The results revealed that AI, from the students' perspective, will significantly impact daily life, particularly in areas such as medicine, education, or media. Men are more aware of potential changes in Computer Science, autonomous driving, image and video processing, and chatbot usage, while women mention more the impact on social media. Both men and women perceive potential threats in the same manner, with men more aware of war, AI controlled drones, terrain recognition, and information war. Women seem to have a stronger tendency towards ethical considerations and helping others.

Figures & tables

Q1Please specify your gender. Choice of male, female, or I prefer not to answer.
Q2In which domains do you think Artificial Intelligence will have the greatest impact
 and why? (Mention at least 3)
Q3Which are considered the main benefits related to Artificial Intelligence that
 might appear in the next 3 years?
Q4Which are considered the main risks related to Artificial Intelligence that
 might appear in the next 3 years?
Table 1: Survey Questions
Data ProcessingData ProcessingInvestingEconomicsMarketing
Men7.81%7.03%5.47%6.25%
Women7.69%8.97%5.13%5.13%
Table 2: Key item classes percentages for Data Processing
AMEngineeringRobotsResearchPhysicsArchitectureAstronomy
Men3.13%3.91%1.56%1.56%3.91%2.34%
Women7.69%3.85%2.56%2.56%3.85%0.00%
Table 3: Key item classes percentages for Automatization
Figure 1: Domains affected by AI. Gender Perspective
CreationArtTextVideo/photo(Social)Chatbots
  generationeditingMedia 
Men6.25%4.69%8.59%4.69%10.94%
Women5.13%1.28%3.85%7.69%2.56%
Table 4: Key item classes percentages for Content Generation
Figure 2: Major threats due to AI. Gender Perspective
Personal reasons for not choosingMen — Women
Complex/Difficult13.95% — 12.33%
Math13.95% — 10.96%
Boring5.43% — 1.33%
Constantly evolving0.00% — 4.11%
No interest6.20% — 8.22%
Other career6.98% — 17.81%
Table 5: Key item classes percentages for personal non-financial reasons of men versus women.
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