A contextualized study of the usage of ChatGPT among university faculty members

Purpose Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have brought about numerous opportunities and challenges in various fields, including education and research. ChatGPT, as an AI tool, can generate complex analytical texts based on simple texts. However, the use of this tool poses various legal and ethical challenges, including authenticity, researcher participation and plagiarism. Accordingly, the present study aims to evaluate the acceptance of using ChatGPT among university faculty members. Design/methodology/approach The extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model was employed in the survey, in which 625 university faculty members participated. Findings The research findings demonstrated that the social influence of ChatGPT among university professors has an impact on their utilization of this tool in educational and research processes. Additionally, security and trust influenced research participants in using ChatGPT. The results of this study indicate that ChatGPT has numerous capabilities in the field of education and research. Originality/value The theoretical contribution of this research is to provide a model and identify the factors influencing the acceptance of ChatGPT in the academic field. In this model, the factors of performance expectation, ease of use of technology, degree of efficiency, social influence, security, trust, infrastructure and environment were effective in the adoption of ChatGPT. However, university administrators should establish the educational infrastructure for utilizing this tool and develop implementing regulations while considering the legal challenges.