New figures from Epinion show that the illegal sharing of textbooks is still widespread among students, and that chatbots now play a new and central role in this unlawful practice.
More and more students in higher education are getting their hands on their textbooks without paying for them – and often illegally. At the same time, the new study that Epinion conducted for the Rights Alliance in January 2025 points to a new trend in the wake of the spread of artificial intelligence. According to the study, one in four students (25%) has uploaded entire textbooks or excerpts from them to a chatbot – and only slightly more than one in four knows that it is illegal.
At the same time, the study shows that students’ illegal consumption of digital textbooks in general remains widespread. Among students who use digital textbooks, 57% admit that they have at least once gained access to a textbook via illegal sources.
Summary of main results from the study of student acquisition of textbooks, conducted by Epinion for the Rights Alliance in January 2025
Find the main results of the analysis here
AI creates a new culture of sharing
Although it is a known challenge that students upload textbooks to chatbots, this is the first time that we have concrete figures on the extent. When almost three out of four (72%) students are unaware that it is illegal to upload textbooks to chatbots, it calls for a significant need to inform students about the rules. The lack of knowledge is striking and is underlined by the fact that only slightly less than half (41%) believe that they have been informed about the rules regarding sharing digital textbooks at their educational institution.
The fact that students upload textbooks to chatbots as part of their studies raises new and serious copyright issues. By using, for example, illegal PDF files to train or adapt their own GPT models, textbooks can be made freely available to an unlimited number of users. The result is that the incentive to buy the original works is undermined, which harms copyright holders and distorts the market.
Lack of information perpetuates a problematic culture
The Epinion survey also shows that a majority of students (74%) find it acceptable to share digital textbooks with each other, despite stating that they are aware that it is illegal. When the behavior is an ingrained part of the student culture, there is a great need for copyright holders and educational institutions to work together to guide students.
At the Rights Alliance’s literature seminar on Thursday, May 22, representatives from the literary industry and educational institutions therefore gathered to discuss solutions that can curb the challenges. The new Epinion survey formed the framework for the afternoon, where the Rights Alliance also presented materials that are equipped for educational institutions and students to navigate the copyright restrictions on the use of chatbots in study contexts.
All materials can be accessed here:
Guidance on legal restrictions for the use of chatbots in educational institutions
One-pager on using textbooks in chatbots
Q&A about using textbooks in chatbots
About the Epinion study
The study was conducted via web-based interviews among 701 students at a higher education institution. Data was collected from January 15 to January 30, 2025 via an online panel. The study covers the students’ behavior over the past six months, i.e. in the period August-December 2024.