2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress paper presents preliminary findings from a systematic literature review focused on the impacts of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on students’ interpersonal interactions in engineering and computing education. GenAI tools, which refer to AI that goes beyond traditional models by focusing on generating new data rather than solely analyzing or making predictions, such as ChatGPT, have been drastically reshaping education. In engineering and computing education, there has been a surge of research exploring how to integrate GenAI into learning and teaching, and academic integrity. Yet, little is known about how GenAI interaction affects students’ interactions with other humans in learning environments, despite recent warnings from scholars in higher education and social psychology about the potential loss of interpersonal interactions and related skills resulting from GenAI interaction. Considering the critical role of interpersonal interactions in students’ learning and in the development of socially constructed psychological constructs that significantly influence integration and retention (e.g., sense of belonging, identity), there is an urgent need to generate evidence-based understanding of the interpersonal consequences of GenAI use in engineering and computing education.

To address this need, the study aims to conduct a systematic review that explores the following research questions: 1) How do students interact with GenAI systems? 2) How do students’ interactions with GenAI influence their interpersonal interactions? and 3) What opportunities and risks have been identified? A rigorous systematic review is currently underway, following the guidelines developed by researchers at the Joanna Briggs Institute, a distinguished group renowned for their work in systematic synthesis research. Our search strategy was designed to collect literature on the interplay between GenAI use and various types of interpersonal interactions in educational settings, such as those involving peers, faculty, and group collaborations. Given the limited research on this topic within engineering and computer science education, as revealed by our pilot review, the search was broadened to include literature from diverse fields of education and STEM disciplinary-based education research. Data collection was conducted using electronic databases that primarily index educational and social science research (e.g., ERIC), psychological studies (e.g., APA PsycInfo), and engineering research (e.g., Engineering Village). We identified literature published within the past five years, corresponding to the emergence of GenAI, and employed Boolean operators refined through our pilot study. The abstract and full-text review are in progress, and the following inclusion criteria are being applied: 1) Empirical or conceptual studies investigating students’ interactions with GenAI or its impact on interpersonal interactions; 2) Studies that involve at least one GenAI system; 3) Publications in peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings; and 4) Full-text availability in English. The full paper will present preliminary findings on the synthesized knowledge, offering insights to guide educators and practitioners in balancing technological innovation with human connection.