Research conducted by students majoring in Library and Information Science at Padjadjaran University found a significant correlation between students’ daily information needs and their use of OpenAI ChatGPT. This research provides new insights into how artificial intelligence (AI) technology is beginning to shape students’ information-seeking behavior, both for academic and non-academic purposes.
The study was conducted by Nurul Farikasari, Prijana, and Asep Saeful Rohman, involving 600 students from six major universities in Indonesia: Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Diponegoro, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Padjadjaran, and UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. A quantitative survey method with Pearson Product Moment correlation analysis was applied to measure the relationship between information needs and the use of ChatGPT.
Findings revealed that most students use ChatGPT not only for academic purposes, such as completing assignments and accessing scholarly references, but also for non-academic needs. Students reported that ChatGPT is highly useful because it provides information quickly, accurately, and tailored to their needs.
The study highlights that students’ information behavior in the digital era is evolving. Valuable and useful information is strongly linked to ChatGPT’s ability to deliver timely and precise responses. This supports the new media theory, which states that digital technologies have transformed the way individuals interact with information, making it more personal and interactive.
The researchers suggest that ChatGPT can play an important role in higher education as a complement to traditional information sources. They recommend that universities collaborate with AI platforms to maximize their benefits, while also providing training to students on how to optimize ChatGPT for accessing accurate and credible information. This research also contributes to the achievement of SDG 4 (Quality Education) by improving academic literacy through technology use, and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by emphasizing the role of digital infrastructure in supporting higher education.
Full article available at: http://media.unpad.ac.id/files/publikasi/2025/rpm_20250203140539_9735.pdf
