The Reshaping of Generative Artificial Intelligence on University Students’ Cognitive Autonomy and Its Educational Response

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhet.202615113

Author(s)

Yimo Zhao¹, Zhanwei Tian², Shaobao Liu3, Fanmei Meng2

Affiliation(s)

1School of Marxism, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China 2College of Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China 3School of Marxism, Suqian University, Suqian, Zhejiang, China

Abstract

The deep integration of generative artificial intelligence is systematically reshaping university students' cognitive autonomy, triggering profound transformations in higher education practices. From the perspective of critical technology theory, this study analyzes the internal mechanisms through which generative AI reshapes cognitive autonomy by altering the pathways of accessing cognitive resources, externalizing the organizational logic of cognitive processes, and reconstructing the basis for judging cognitive authority. This reshaping process gives rise to three major educational risks: structural imbalance in cognitive abilities, endogenous erosion of academic ethical integrity, and difficulties in constructing learners' subjective identity. To address these challenges, it is imperative to promote a shift in educational paradigms centered on cultivating "critical cognitive autonomy." This entails reorienting educational objectives from tool application to competency development, redesigning deep learning environments that incorporate critical dialogue, and fundamentally transforming the role of teachers into facilitators and interpreters. Such measures will guide students in maintaining and developing their irreplaceable cognitive agency and value judgment within the new human–machine collaborative cognitive ecology.

Keywords

Generative Artificial Intelligence; University Students; Cognitive Autonomy; Educational Response; Higher Education

References

[1] Song, Y., Huang, L. C., Zheng, L. Q., Fan, M. Y., & Liu, Z. H. (2025). Interactions with generative AI chatbots: Unveiling dialogic dynamics, students' perceptions, and practical competencies in creative problem-solving. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 22(1), 12. [2] Zhu, J. H., Xu, L. Y., & Ma, J. Y. (2025). How generative artificial intelligence empowers student learning: An empirical study based on university students' self-regulated learning behaviors. Research in Higher Education of Engineering, (02), 66-72. [3] Qi, J., Xu, Y. R., Liu, J. A., & Xue, K. (2024). The impact of using generative artificial intelligence tools on university students' critical thinking and self-directed learning abilities. e-Education Research, 45(12), 67-74. [4] Liu, Y. N., Hou, H. Y., & Chen, X. P. (2025). From instrumental rationality to value rationality: Crisis and philosophical reconstruction of educational transformation in the era of artificial intelligence. Zhejiang Social Sciences, (07), 91-102+158. [5] Zheng, X. D., Hu, K. Y., & Yang, J. M. (2025). Where exactly are education and learning heading in the era of artificial intelligence? An examination based on the embodied view of cognition. Modern Distance Education Research, 37(06), 13-23. [6] Tang, Y. Y., & Tan, W. Z. (2025). Cultivating high-quality learners: Reflections on the carriers and evaluation standards for achieving educational quality in the intelligent era. Open Education Research, 31(03), 74-83. [7] Li, X. Y., & Kim, K. (2025). Impacts of Generative AI on User Contributions: Evidence from a Coding Q&A Platform. Marketing Letters, 36(3), 591. [8] Tang, Q. W., & Cao, M. (2026). Redefining student subjectivity in the era of generative artificial intelligence: A posthumanist perspective. Open Education Research, 32(01), 37-44. [9] Liu, B., Zhang, X., & Jiang, Y. J. (2025). The value, dilemma, and breakthrough in cultivating university students' innovative thinking in the era of artificial intelligence. Journal of Jinggangshan University (Social Sciences Edition), 46(03), 115-122. [10] Li, Y. (2025). An ethical examination and governance pathway for the reshaping of top innovative talent cultivation by generative artificial intelligence. China Higher Education, (09), 54-58.