(Un)invited Assistant: AI as a Structural Element of the University Environment

In the digital age, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) development has brought about structural transformations in higher education. This study examines how students’ regular use of artificial intelligence tools brings a new active player into the educational process. This is an “uninvited assistant” that changes traditional models of teaching and learning. This study was conducted using the following standard methods: bibliometric analysis, student survey using an electronic questionnaire, primary processing and graphical visualization of empirical data, calculation of statistical indicators, t -statistics, and z -statistics. As the results of the bibliometric analysis show, the evolution in the perception and integration of artificial intelligence within higher education discussions, as evidenced by the comparison of network visualizations from 2020 to the present, reveals a significant transformation. Based on a quantitative survey of 1197 undergraduate students in five Eastern European countries, this paper proposes a conceptual shift from the classic two-dimensional (2D) model of higher education services based on university teacher–student interactions to a three-dimensional (3D) model that includes artificial intelligence as a functional third player (an uninvited assistant). Statistical hypothesis testing confirms that students need AI and regularly use it in the learning process, facilitating the emergence of this new player. Based on empirical data, this study presents a hypothetical 3D model (X:Y:Z), where the Z-axis reflects the intensity of AI use. This model challenges traditional didactic frameworks and calls for updating educational policies, ethical standards, and higher education governance systems. By merging digital technologies and social change, the results provide a theoretical and practical basis for rethinking pedagogical relationships and institutional roles in the digital age.