The role of generative AI in doctoral research: Business students’ experiences in a bilingual, resource-limited context

The rapid adoption of generative AI (GenAI) is transforming doctoral education, yet limited research has examined how students in bilingual, resource-constrained settings integrate these tools into their research workflows. This mixed-methods study investigated the use, perceptions, and impacts of ChatGPT among 35 business doctoral students at a leading private university in Mexico. Survey data were analyzed descriptively, and open-ended responses were examined using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings reveal extensive GenAI use, with most students employing it for research tasks. Students reported significant productivity benefits, particularly for writing refinement, idea generation, and literature synthesis. However, students simultaneously expressed substantial concerns about academic integrity, potential inaccuracies, over-reliance, and the erosion of critical thinking. Crucially, students explicitly called for structured GenAI literacy initiatives and clearer supervisory guidance, highlighting the need for institutional frameworks to support responsible integration. By situating this study in a bilingual, resource-limited context, we demonstrate how linguistic and structural factors shape GenAI adoption and identify implications for doctoral program design, research supervision, and institutional policy in non-Anglophone settings.