Introduction
As generative AI tools continue to evolve, their integration into academic life is reshaping how students learn, research, and complete assignments. In Canada, where post-secondary institutions are increasingly experimenting with AI policies and learning frameworks, the comparison between Claude (by Anthropic) and ChatGPT (by OpenAI) reveals critical insights into the future of student-AI collaboration. While both tools offer robust capabilities, they serve different student behaviors, disciplines, and institutional strategies.
1. Adoption and Awareness in Canada
ChatGPT currently dominates awareness and use in Canada. According to recent surveys:
68% of Canadian university students are aware of ChatGPT.
43% have used it for academic purposes.
International students report even higher usage, at 63%, compared to 39% among domestic peers.
In contrast, Claude—though less widely adopted—has seen rapid growth, particularly within STEM departments. Its rise is attributed to:
A strong emphasis on logical reasoning and coding support.
The introduction of Claude’s Learning Mode, designed specifically for education settings to foster critical thinking.
2. Usage Patterns and Cognitive Depth
Students use ChatGPT for a wide range of tasks, including:
Grammar checking and paraphrasing (55%).
Study aids like flashcards and summaries (49%).
Brainstorming, creative prompts, and idea generation.
Claude is more often used for:
Technical problem-solving (e.g., code debugging).
Essay refining and knowledge synthesis.
Conceptual clarification in higher-order tasks (e.g., creating practice problems).
Anthropic’s internal report indicates that over 70% of Claude’s usage involves “creating” and “analyzing”—tasks situated at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy. This suggests a heavier emphasis on deep learning, compared to ChatGPT's broader, often more surface-level, support functions.
3. Discipline-Specific Trends
In both platforms, usage correlates strongly with disciplinary orientation:
Field | Claude | ChatGPT |
|---|
Computer Science | ✅ Dominant (36.8%) | ✅ High usage |
Natural Sciences | ✅ Moderate | ✅ Moderate |
Humanities | ❌ Underrepresented | ✅ Common |
Business & Health | ❌ Low engagement | ✅ Broadly used |
Claude's dominance in STEM stems from its ability to reason through complex problems and maintain long, technical threads. ChatGPT's versatility, by contrast, lends itself well to the Humanities, Business, and Education, where writing support and ideation are central.
4. Ethical and Academic Integrity Implications
Both tools present academic integrity challenges, especially in self-directed or take-home contexts.
ChatGPT is often used to generate entire responses, leading to cases of unedited AI content being submitted as original student work.
Claude, while used less frequently in this way, still poses concerns. Anthropic reports instances of students using Claude to rephrase plagiarized answers or complete take-home tests.
Canadian universities are responding by:
Promoting AI literacy workshops.
Updating syllabi to explicitly include or exclude AI tools.
Exploring AI-detection tools with limited success, as students learn to evade them.
Notably, UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) encourages an approach of “AI transparency”, inviting students to declare when they’ve used AI and reflect on its role in their work.
5. Future of AI in Higher Education: Claude vs. ChatGPT
Feature | Claude | ChatGPT |
|---|
Deep reasoning | ✅ Strong | 🟡 Moderate |
Conversational fluency | 🟡 Moderate | ✅ Excellent |
Learning mode | ✅ Socratic prompts | 🟡 Not built-in |
STEM performance | ✅ Best-in-class | ✅ Competitive |
Accessibility in Canada | 🟡 Growing | ✅ Widely available (free GPT-4o access till May 2025) |
As of now, ChatGPT remains the go-to AI tool for most Canadian students due to accessibility, conversational ease, and academic versatility. Claude, however, is carving out a niche as a “thinking partner” in more technical or research-intensive fields. If Anthropic continues to develop its educational tools and integrates Claude more deeply into learning platforms, its usage could rival ChatGPT, especially among Canadian STEM learners.
Conclusion
The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude is reshaping higher education across Canada. While both tools enhance productivity and access to knowledge, they demand critical reflection from educators and students alike. Institutions must balance the benefits of AI-enhanced learning with the risks of dependency and academic dishonesty. As the sector evolves, nuanced policy, transparent use, and AI literacy will determine whether these tools enrich or undermine the educational experience.
📚 References (APA 7th Edition)
Anthropic. (2024, April). Anthropic Education Report: How University Students Use Claude. https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-education-report-how-university-students-use-claude
Anthropic. (2024, April). Introducing Claude for Education. https://www.anthropic.com/news/introducing-claude-for-education
OpenAI. (2024, March). College students and ChatGPT. https://openai.com/global-affairs/college-students-and-chatgpt
University of British Columbia CTLT. (2024). How are UBC students using generative AI?. https://ai.ctlt.ubc.ca/how-are-ubc-students-using-generative-ai
Academica Forum. (2023). Canadian students and ChatGPT: A new learning tool?. https://forum.academica.ca/forum/canadian-students-and-chatgpt-a-new-learning-tool
The Verge. (2024, May). OpenAI and Anthropic roll out AI tools for education. https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/641193/openai-anthropic-education-tool-college
The Guardian. (2024, December). Inside the university AI cheating crisis. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/dec/15/i-received-a-first-but-it-felt-tainted-and-undeserved-inside-the-university-ai-cheating-crisis
