Thinking with ChatGPT: An autoethnographic inquiry into epistemic transformation in higher education

This study examines how sustained engagement with generative artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, reshaped my ways of thinking, writing, and learning as a doctoral student in higher education. Adopting autoethnography as methodology, I situate personal experiences within wider educational and technological landscapes to explore the epistemic implications of human–AI interaction. Through narrative vignettes and thematic analysis, I trace how generative AI became embedded in academic practice and identity formation. Drawing on Cognitive Flexibility Theory, I document a reorientation from linear knowledge production to more iterative, dialogic, and adaptive thinking. I introduce the notion of AI as a thought partner—a collaborative presence that enables recursive prompting, reframing, and co-construction of meaning. By foregrounding the relational and cognitive dimensions of working with AI, this study contributes to educational research in two ways: methodologically, by demonstrating the value of autoethnography in investigating emergent human–AI practices; and conceptually, by expanding current understandings of learning with AI beyond dominant narratives of efficiency or misconduct. These insights invite interdisciplinary dialogue on how generative AI can foster epistemic growth, metacognitive awareness, and reflective learning across higher education contexts.