Is this a threat to my individual self-perception, or an opportunity? A qualitative study unfolding the effects of generative AI chatbots on students' individual self-perception in the process of revising and updating their "selves"

Sammanfattning: For long, scholars have been interested in the concept of identity and its continuous development, conceptualized as identity work - emphasizing its ongoing process rather than a fixed state. As a subject to change, our identities are seen to be influenced by various factors, playing a significant role in shaping our self-perceptions and determining who we are, as well as who we aspire to become. Among these influencing factors are technological innovations, which bring about shifts in identities and roles. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is currently gaining more attention from management scholars but is lagging behind in the intersection of identity work. In this thesis, we investigate how individuals' process of identity work is affected by the use of GenAI. While the word "generative" in this thesis sheds light on the textual content, it brings us to the discussion of the academic field, but leaves us with unanswered questions about how it shapes and impacts students' self-perceptions and identities. As higher education institutions (HEIs) prepare students for future decision-making positions, it is crucial to comprehend the implications of new technologies on students' self-perception. This thesis seeks to add to existing research by exploring the effects of GenAI chatbots on students' self-perceptions in the process of revising and updating their identities. The method of choice for this purpose was a qualitative approach, where data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 61 students studying business and economics disciplines, representing three prominent HEIs in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition, 8 principals, professors, and experts in the field, from the three institutions, have been interviewed in order to gain deeper insight into the students' academic contexts - to enhance the authors' understanding of the central research question. The empirical results show that students are affected by their usage of GenAI chatbots in the process of revising and updating their identities; however, how they are affected, and what the consequences are, differ. Using chatbots is seen to engender both tensions and cohesions between their multiple selves, giving rise to either an identity threat or an opportunity, as well as spillover effects. Further, the lack of clear guidelines from higher education institutions puts students in an ambiguous situation, prompting the process of revising and updating their "selves" in order to make sense of themselves and what they stand for in this new era of academic context. A theoretical framework is developed that outlines three distinct "selves" prevalent in the context of this study; the Achievement-Oriented Self, the Communal-Oriented Self, and the Moral-Oriented Self. The study makes contributions to existing literature by providing a novel understanding of the intersection between AI and identity work, and how different identities interact with one another.