- European/UK students use AI for organization, productivity instead of cheating
- Lenovo reports that students are using tablets more as they seek cheaper, portable options
- Universities may gradually become more accepting of AI as students report more encouragement
Almost all (98%) European students aged 18-25 now say AI helps them in some way, and new data from Lenovo reveals that despite the prejudices of other age groups, young people can actually use it to support rather than cheat.
Note-taking (73%), summarizing (73%) and brainstorming (72%) offer nearly identical use cases, with technology largely seen as a support layer that helps students stay organized, manage workloads and maintain focus.
Ultimately, the research concludes that AI is becoming integrated into learning as a means of helping students process information more effectively rather than bypassing learning altogether, marking a major shift in perception that could affect how universities and other institutions regulate the technology.
How are European and UK students using artificial intelligence?
Among UK students specifically, 79% use AI note-taking tools, 79% use handwriting-to-text tools, 78% use AI summarizing tools and 78% use idea generation tools, all at least weekly.
In fact, British students are generally more positive than their European counterparts when it comes to AI’s role in generating ideas, helping them feel prepared, work more efficiently, feel more in control and stay focused, Lenovo found.
Separately, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) found that 95% of UK students are now using AI in some way, marking a big jump compared to 2024 (66%). Again, use cases span difficult concepts (61%), summarizing academic sources (49%) and searching for information online (36%) – all administrative productivity aids and not educational substitutes.
With students capturing lecture notes, converting handwritten notes into documents and organizing information, Lenovo claims that AI’s biggest impact is actually reducing administrative and organizational burdens.
These discoveries come at an important time in the evolution of education, when many universities, colleges and schools are deeply considering how AI should be used and regulated. But Lenovo argues that creativity remains human-driven, and that fewer administrative tasks could actually free up more time for students to produce higher-quality work.
And HEPI found that universities are beginning to adapt – or at least in the UK. Now around 36% of students feel their university encourages the use of artificial intelligence, compared to 28% last year.
Students may be driving an increase in tablet sales—at least for Lenovo
As for their devices of choice, Lenovo also claims that tablets are becoming more mainstream. According to the data, 94% of students say that a tablet is or would be useful across all aspects of student life. Beyond education, the report shows how students would consider a tablet over a TV if screen and sound quality were comparable.
“For Gen Z, creativity can strike at any time of the day, so they need tablets that are intuitive and supportive, helping them stay in the creative flow for as long as possible,” added Alberto Spinelli, Chief Marketing Officer for Europe and META.
This trend may be influenced by ongoing supply chain strains and the recent introduction of more powerful AI PCs, pushing prices up across the board.
Lenovo accounted for about 8.2% of the tablet market during the first three months of 2026 (per Omdia) and saw a 20% increase in shipments year-over-year, but the company’s analysts warn that the tablet market is not growing much at all. The market grew just 0.1% in Q1 compared to 3.2% growth in the global PC market.
“With continued supply chain pressure, Q1’s modest growth is likely to mark the high point for the year,” warned chief analyst Ben Yeh, suggesting consumers could be targeting cheaper devices (including potentially tablets) or delaying upgrades altogether.
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