AI helps students find time for side hustles, Adobe research finds
A third of Gen Z respondents (33%) said AI tools had freed up time to earn additional income, compared with just 3% of Gen X respondents reflecting on their university experience.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping students spend less time on university work and more time earning money, according to research from Adobe Acrobat.
The study of 500 UK students and graduates found that 68% of younger students view AI as their biggest time-saving tool at university, highlighting a growing generational divide in how technology is shaping higher education.
A third of Gen Z respondents (33%) said AI tools had freed up time to earn additional income, compared with just 3% of Gen X respondents reflecting on their university experience.
The research also found that technology is increasingly supporting student entrepreneurship.
Nearly a third (31%) said online platforms such as Etsy, eBay and Vinted had helped them sell products more quickly, while 18% said technology had enabled them to build an entire side business.
More than a quarter of Gen Z students (26%) said they had launched an online side hustle while studying.
The findings suggest digital tools are significantly reducing the amount of time students spend completing assignments.
Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z respondents (63%) said they spend less than 12 hours on university projects, while only 6% reported spending two or three days on assignments.
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