Knowing is not enoughRadovan, Marko (Avtor) Makovec Radovan, Danijela (Avtor) higher educationGenAIself-reported GenAI usestudent support needscritical–responsible orientationgenerative AIGenerative AI tools are spreading rapidly through higher education, yet relationships among students’ perceived familiarity with GenAI, self-reported use, support needs, and critical–responsible orientation remain insufficiently understood. We surveyed 449 students from four Slovenian faculties of education and arts. Perceived familiarity with GenAI was measured using a single self-assessment item rather than a test of knowledge or competence. Critical–responsible orientation was operationalized as the importance students assigned to nine ethical and societal issues; it did not measure observed responsible behavior. Perceived familiarity with GenAI was positively but modestly associated with the frequency, breadth, and diversity of self-reported learning-related GenAI use. Descriptively, students with lower perceived familiarity reported greater support needs across all five areas, while responsible-use guidance was widely requested in both groups. Perceived familiarity with GenAI did not significantly predict critical–responsible orientation; age showed a small positive association. Among the 196 respondents who reported using GenAI for learning, perceived familiarity was the only significant predictor of the number of learning-related purposes; perceived instructional and institutional support and critical–responsible orientation were not independently associated with the outcome. These findings distinguish perceived familiarity with GenAI, self-reported use, support needs, and critical–responsible orientation as related but non-equivalent dimensions of GenAI readiness. Higher education institutions should provide curriculum-based support that combines practical GenAI skills with critical evaluation and attention to responsible use.20262026-10-13 04:16:07Članek v reviji189687UDK: 378ISSN pri članku: 2227-7102DOI: 10.3390/educsci16081259COBISS_ID: 294776323sl