Shame and guilt coexist with continued AI use, creating self-reinforcing cycles of reliance, concealment, and self-critique rather than behavior change¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Negative emotions did not deter AI use; students resolved to avoid AI and returned to it under time pressure, perceiving reduced agency over their use. → Kate Hamilton 2026

Evidence¶

Kate Hamilton 2026¶

Kate Hamilton, Irene Hou, Dev Patel, Sheena Nnam, Hena Patel, and Stephen MacNeil. (2026). “Stuck in a Spiral”: Shame and Guilt as Social Regulators of AI Use in Computing Education. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.14920 doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.14920

q2 · i? · qualitative · r3

Results on cycles of use: the interview study found that "Rather than acting as a deterrent, these negative emotions often became part of a cycle" of resolve, return to use under deadlines, and renewed shame, with participants describing feeling stuck in a spiral.

"Rather than acting as a deterrent, these negative emotions often became part of a cycle in which students would resolve to avoid AI, only to return to it again under the time pressures of coursework and deadlines."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Shame and guilt regulate the visibility of AI use: students engage in hiding behaviors and selective disclosure rather than open disclosure — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Students spontaneously use language and metaphors of addiction to describe their AI use, framed as loss of control rather than enjoyment — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• GenAI shows a dual-mechanism profile: meta-analytic learning benefits coexist with dependence-related costs to critical thinking — related
• Students shame themselves, peers, and in one case a faculty member for using AI — related
• AI guilt correlates with avoidance and concealment behaviours, most strongly with limiting use due to uneasiness — related
• AI use threatens students' computing identities as competent, hardworking, and ethical, with students identifying as cheaters, lazy, or incompetent even where AI is permitted — related
• In CLL, teachers perceive a trust erosion cycle, AI dominance in groups, collaborative hollowing, and a counselor's dilemma — related