Course syllabi anthropomorphize GenAI — 39% attribute living characteristics such as a GenAI Assistant — a theme absent from institutional guidelines¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? 39% of syllabi were coded as Anthropomorphism of GenAI, attributing living characteristics to GenAI as an assistant or through personification, while this code was absent at the institutional level. → Amrita Ganguly 2026

Evidence¶

Amrita Ganguly 2026¶

Amrita Ganguly, Aditya Johri, Nora McDonald, Areej Ali, Umama Dewan, and Aayushi Hingle Collier. (2026). A Comparative Analysis of Institutional and Course Generative AI Policies within Higher Education: Implications for Instruction in Computing Education. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.12296 doi:10.48550/arxiv.2607.12296

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Course syllabus coding of 98 CS syllabi found anthropomorphism exclusively at the course level; Table 3 shows an example syllabus advising students to imagine GenAI systems as a helpful but fallible classmate. The discussion links this to faculty and student mental models of teaching.

"39% (N=38) syllabi were coded as Anthropomorphism of GenAI meaning they attributed living characteristics to GenAI, either as a GenAI Assistant (36%, N=35) or otherwise providing Characterization/ Personification of GenAI (5%, N=5)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Course syllabi name specific GenAI tools — ChatGPT in 90 of 98 — while institutional guidelines contain no code for specific tools — related
• Institutional GenAI guidance is more pro-use than computing course syllabus policies, where 92% of syllabi set explicit permissions and half prohibit use outright — related
• Both institutional and course-level guidance emphasize transparency and acknowledging or citing GenAI use, with 83% of syllabi providing explicit citation guidance — related
• Institutional guidance cautions instructors about privacy (60% of institutions) while syllabi more often flag veracity of GenAI output and hindering learning — related
• Students anthropomorphized the chatbot and built relationships with it through personal and social questions — related