Human-Machine Collaboration in Education: Investigating AI’s Influence on Students Analytical Skills at the Polytechnic Ibadan

The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into higher education is transforming the learning process, offering new opportunities while simultaneously posing challenges to students’ cognitive development. Advanced AI applications now deliver efficiency, personalization, and extensive access to knowledge, thereby reshaping how learners engage with academic content. Yet, persistent concerns exist regarding the extent to which dependence on AI may compromise critical thinking, analytical skills and abilities, raising important questions about the preservation of intellectual autonomy and academic rigor. This study, to be conducted at The Polytechnic Ibadan, intends to examine the relationship between students’ use of AI tools and the development of independent analytical capacities. The objectives are to explore prevailing patterns of AI utilization among students, to assess the relationship between AI reliance and levels of critical engagement, and to recommend strategies for incorporating AI in ways that strengthen rather than erode analytical skills. Fundamentally, the research is concerned with whether reliance on AI promotes improved learning outcomes or engenders intellectual dependency, thereby weakening students’ ability to engage in deep, autonomous reasoning. Underpinned by constructivist learning theory, the study will adopt a mixed-methods design and purposive sampling of fifty (50) students. The anticipated findings aim to provide evidence that can inform institutional policy, curriculum reform, and teaching practices, while contributing to a better understanding of how AI technologies can be responsibly harnessed to advance learning and intellectual growth in higher education.