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The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed educational practices and learning models. This study examines the perspectives of higher education teachers at Chinese universities on the use of AI as a teaching assistant tool. Although there is growing interest in AI technologies, their overall impact on academia remains a subject of contention. This study highlights the need to systematically investigate the functionalities and potential risks of AI tools, particularly when integrated with traditional educational paradigms. Ten higher education teachers participated in an in-depth interview survey. Utilising a qualitative descriptive research paradigm, the results indicate that participants generally held positive attitudes towards AI, recognising its affordances, such as assisting with lesson planning, as well as providing personalised feedback. However, participants identified three key shortcomings of AI: (a) the destabilisation of pedagogical authority, (b) the absence of affective support, and (c) the propensity to encourage learner overdependence. In particular, clear disciplinary asymmetries emerged, with STEM reporting more efficacious uses than the humanities, where interpretive depth and historical context were limiting factors. This exploratory study contributes valuable insights to the existing literature on the benefits and drawbacks of using AI in cross-disciplinary higher education, informing future AI designers.
Du et al. (Fri,) studied this question.