Human as a Subject of Research and Artificial Intelligence as a Tool of Science: Psychological and Methodological Analysis

The article addresses the issue of transformations in the notion of subjectivity within scientific inquiry in the context of the active integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into science and education. The study combines theoretical and empirical analysis, including a survey of students and academic staff (N = 90), which revealed differences in the perception of AI either as an instrument or as a conditional “co-author” of research activities. The theoretical part builds upon philosophical and psychological concepts of subjectivity (S. L. Rubinstein, A. N. Leontiev, L. B. Schneider, E. Husserl, K. Popper), emphasizing the uniqueness of human motivation, value-based foundations, and critical reflection. The empirical findings demonstrate that students tend to view AI as a tool for optimizing educational and research tasks, whereas academics highlight cognitive risks and threats to academic integrity. Based on statistical data analysis (correlation and factor analysis, Student’s t-test, Cronbach’s alpha), the study concludes that the leading role as the subject of research remains with the human. The practical significance of the work lies in the necessity of fostering a digital research culture oriented toward the responsible use of AI in higher education practice.