The Influence of Artificial Intelligence Tools on Postgraduate Students' Learning Practices in Mogadishu, Somalia

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are spreading quickly in higher education and are changing how students search for information, organize academic tasks, write assignments, and support research-related learning. However, empirical evidence of the influence of AI tools on postgraduate students' learning practices remains limited in low-resource and understudied higher education contexts, such as Mogadishu, Somalia. This study examined how AI tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Grammarly, Claude, and related AI-supported academic tools, are used by postgraduate students and how AI use relates to learning practices. The study used a correlational cross-sectional survey design and analyzed 142 valid responses from postgraduate students in Mogadishu universities. The analysis used descriptive statistics, reliability testing, Pearson correlation, and ordinary least squares regression. Results indicated that AI tool use was common among respondents: 39.44% reported daily academic use, and ChatGPT was the most frequently selected tool (74.65%). AI tools were mainly used for research (71.13%), assignments (49.30%), and reports (43.66%). However, regression analysis indicated that AI use intensity did not significantly predict overall learning practice (coefficient = -0.0989, p = 0.2765, R-squared = 0.0085). The only significant dimension-level result was a negative association with assignment completion, coefficient = -0.4843, p = 0.0219. Reliability coefficients were weak, so composite-scale interpretation should be treated cautiously. The study concludes that AI tools are widely used among postgraduate students in Mogadishu, but frequent AI use alone does not provide clear evidence of improved learning practice. Universities should therefore focus on responsible AI training, academic integrity, and guided use rather than assuming that access to AI tools automatically improves postgraduate learning outcomes.