“When Gen Z meets GenAI”: The perfect storm in higher education

The rising era of the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has already become a defining reality within higher education (HE) ecosystems. Although HE has previously undergone digital disruptions, such as the advent of computers and the internet, the shockwave produced by GenAI appears unprecedented in its scale and impact. While GenAI offers numerous academic benefits, students, educators, and university administrators continue to grapple with its associated challenges. As the first generation to experience the disruptive effects of GenAI in HE, Gen Z students welcomed the technology enthusiastically, perceiving it as a tool to enhance access to knowledge and to outsource routine tasks. However, there is still a need to understand the real impact of GenAI on students across different contexts. Therefore, we applied a multi-country study to understand, compare, and contrast students' experiences in Brazil and the U.S. as they partner with GenAI to carry out academic activities. We conducted a 15-week longitudinal study, comprising two rounds of semi-structured interviews ( n = 98), and collected data from students' private diaries ( n > 200 entries) to understand the changes in relationship dynamics over time. Our results reveal common and unique experiences among cohorts, as well as the different roles played by students and AI, and various coping strategies employed to enhance their interactions. By applying a transformative service research lens to understand the disruptiveness of GenAI in HE, this study contributes to theory and practice by underlining broader implications for students, educators and university administrators, and establishing a research agenda. • GenAI represents a disruptive force reshaping higher education systems • Higher education is entering a new transformative moment driven by GenAI • GenAI introduces both opportunities and challenges for teaching and learning • Strategic actions can mitigate limitations in GenAI-enabled education • The use of GenAI raises significant ethical concerns in higher education