Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence in Educational Research: An Exploratory Study of Doctoral Scholars’ Perspectives

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an important role across academia, especially in research. While some technical aspects of this AI have been studied and discussed in prior research, relatively little is known about its use by doctoral students in the Indian context and how they perceive or utilise it, especially where access to resources and professional training is limited. The present study tries to address this research gap by phenomenologically exploring the real-time experience of doctoral researchers in Tamil Nadu, India. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and its later revisions, TAM2 and TAM3, and the constructs of these models, theoretically and conceptually align with scholars' experiences and perspectives. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to systematically collect and analyse data to discover the study's scientific findings. The study identified seven main themes from the perceptions of 11 doctoral participants regarding AI in research. The finding is a mixed response from the participants. Ethical concerns, capacity building, and institutional supports are highlighted.