ChatGPT and artificial intelligence in higher education in Jamaica: Opportunity or threat? Reviewing stakeholders’ perceptions

Stakeholders in academia, including in higher education institutions (HEIs), have questioned the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI), including ChatGPT, on education, whether it poses a threat or brings opportunities to the sector. To date, the debates and conversations are ongoing through various fora organised by different interest groups. While many studies have been published internationally, not much empirical data has been gathered in the Jamaican and wider Anglophone Caribbean contexts. Therefore, this research sought to ascertain perceptions from students and academic faculty about ChatGPT at the tertiary level in Jamaica. Stakeholders from different HEIs responded to a survey with both open- and closed-ended questions, as well as structured interviews. The study adopts the exploratory qualitative content analysis method to analyse the data collected. Preliminary findings suggest that ChatGPT makes academic tasks easier, as it provides quick responses, simplifies explanations, and gives prompts. It is also less time consuming. Conversely, AI makes students lazy/dependent and it limits their critical thinking development. Moreover, the absence of clear AI policies deepens academic faculty’s concerns with respect to the validity of students’ work, raising concerns about academic integrity.