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201821 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.201821 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ All Rights Reserved 2025 274 pages Doctoral Dissertation Academic theses en R. Mohammed, Reeham Cheong, Pauline H Johnston, Erik Erincin, Serap Arizona State University Partial requirement for: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2025 Field of study: Communication Studies This dissertation offers an in-depth, theory-infused exploration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) integration in U.S. higher education institutions. It reveals how these technologies reshape AI applications’ use and impact, as well as the communicative and organizational practices of universities. Utilizing a phronetic iterative analysis of 43 semi-structured interviews with faculty, instructors, and employees and three focus group discussions with 14 undergraduate students (N = 57), the dissertation addresses four primary research questions focused on: stakeholders’ perceptions and the opportunities and challenges, value-based and ethical dimensions of responsible AI use, emerging biases, and institutional policies. Grounded in Human–Machine Communication (HMC) and Constitutive Communication Theory of Organization (CCO), the study offers empirical, practical, and theoretical implications. Empirically, the findings contribute to the communication field by providing rich evidence on AI-human interactions, addressing critical ethical and policy challenges, and illuminating the ways in which bias in AI affects educational practices. Practically, the study offers practical insights on defining ethical and responsible AI as well as policy formulation and institutional adaptation. Theoretically, it advances HMC and CCO by reframing AI as a co-creative agent whose shared agency drives iterative cycles of meaning-making, trust formation, policy formation, norm enactment, and organizational identity. Communication Higher Education Social Sciences Education AI Bias AI Policy Generative AI Higher Education Qualitative Research Generative AI in the Academy: Analysis of Stakeholders’ Experiences in U.S Higher Education Organizations