AI as Cognitive Complement or Replacement? Perceived AI Role and Cognitive Independence Among University Students

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has raised important questions about its impact on students’ cognitive processes. While AI can support learning and problem-solving, concerns have emerged regarding its influence on independent thinking. This study examines whether students perceive AI primarily as a cognitive complement or as a replacement for their own thinking, and how these perceptions relate to cognitive outcomes. Data were collected from N = 93 university students at a Hungarian university; analyses were conducted on the subsample of n = 73 AI users. Exploratory factor analysis identified three cognitive dimensions, and correlation and regression analyses examined relationships among AI use patterns, perceived AI role, and cognitive outcomes. The results indicate that perceiving AI as a complement to one’s own thinking is positively associated with cognitive independence and represents its strongest predictor. In contrast, neither the frequency nor the specific purposes of AI use significantly predicted cognitive independence. An exploratory analysis further revealed a positive association between AI use for coding and problem-solving and perceived cognitive augmentation. Nonetheless, given the exploratory nature of the study and the single-institution sample, these insights should be regarded as preliminary. Additionally, the cognitive augmentation framework (H3) yielded only partial empirical support, characterized by a single significant predictor embedded within an overall non-significant model. These findings suggest that the cognitive consequences of AI depend less on usage intensity and more on how students conceptualize AI’s role in their thinking processes.