This study examines how students and teachers in Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) perceive the use of ChatGPT for academic purposes. Adopting a qualitative descriptive design supported by thematic interpretation of focus group discussions, the research explores perceptions of ChatGPT’s academic significance, challenges in obtaining effective outputs, and associated ethical concerns. Participants were purposively selected from universities across India and included students (n = 60) and teachers (n = 20). The findings indicate that students demonstrated limited recognition of ChatGPT’s academic value, primarily due to difficulties in prompt formulation, perceived knowledge gaps, and ethical hesitation. Teachers, while acknowledging the tool’s potential, expressed caution regarding its implications for academic integrity, cognitive engagement, and long-term learning outcomes. Across both groups, the absence of clear institutional guidance emerged as a key barrier to confident and responsible use. Interpreted through the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study proposes an illustrative conceptual framework to guide future empirical research on AI adoption in higher education. The study contributes context-specific qualitative insights to inform policy, pedagogy, and AI literacy initiatives in higher education settings.
Singh et al. (2026) studied this question.