WORKS GENERATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND THE CHALLENGE TO TRADITI

Authors

Eric John T. Calasang

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of MAEd alumni at Southern Capital Colleges as they engaged with generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their scholarly work. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological design, the research investigated how graduates navigated AI in academic research, the ethical and professional struggles they encountered, and the strategies they employed to maintain academic integrity and their unique scholarly voice. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with fifteen purposively selected participants and analyzed using a thematic approach to capture their lived realities. Findings revealed that while AI facilitated cognitive augmentation, collaborative brainstorming, and strategic automation, it simultaneously triggered psychological transitions and a crisis of intellectual identity. Participants grappled with the moral dilemma of the sacred struggle the guilt of utilizing digital shortcuts and faced the professional burden of verification to mitigate technical fallibility and fabricated citations. To navigate these challenges, students employed methodological iteration and human-centric synthesis, adopting a three-step writing process to maintain stylistic sovereignty. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of local knowledge validation, where researchers intentionally infused Visayan nuances and Filipino contexts to address data sovereignty and the limitations of generic machine logic. These experiences signaled a shift in the researcher's role from a primary writer to a critical auditor, emphasizing that while AI may initiate conceptual ideas, human critical thinking must remain the core driver of ethical and high-quality academic output.

Keywords

cognitive augmentation, generative artificial intelligence, human-in-the-loop, intellectual authenticity, interpretative phenomenology