HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS AND THE EDUCATIONAL USE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

This study set out to analyze university students’ perceptions of the challenges and possibilities of integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into the educational context. Towards this goal, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 students at a federal university in southern Bahia. The sample was diverse in terms of gender, age, field of study, and degree of comfort using GenAI. Content analysis of the students’ statements revealed that, although students recognize the potential of this technology, they also express concerns about its effects on learning. The most frequently highlighted aspects relate to: time optimization, risk of dependence, loss of intellectual autonomy, and the maintenance of critical thinking and authorship. The study concluded that university students consider it important for the use of Generative AI in academic contexts to be based on an ethical and responsible approach, so that this technology serves as a resource rather than a substitute for human cognitive processes.