ChatGPT and other generative AI: a revolution or a setback in H&T research publishing

This study explores the key factors influencing hospitality and tourism researchers’ intentions to integrate GenAI like ChatGPT into their research practices through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). While prior studies highlight GenAI’s transformative potential in hospitality and tourism, there remain gaps in understanding its adoption challenges. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-two H&T researchers, purposefully selected from four universities in the UK. The analysis of the interview data was conducted within the procedural framework of a six-step thematic analysis. Researchers perceive GenAI as a dual-facet assistant. The thematic reflects four key factors: ‘Perceived Usefulness’, ‘Perceived Ease of Use’, ‘Trust vs. Mistrust’ and ‘Cultural and Ethical Concerns’. Although the interface is simple to navigate and the responses are quick, there are notable negative implications concerning ethics, cultural biases, and trustworthiness. The study found that the researchers’ actual use patterns vary from full adoption to entire avoidance. This study is transformative because it provides a foundational understanding of the TAM applied to one of the latest technologies, GenAI. It further opens a discussion on how GenAI can promote publishing within the hospitality and tourism research communities while also highlighting potential limitations, such as ethical considerations, over-reliance on AI, and the shifting role of human expertise in academic settings. The study also offers a guide that directs the research community, such as higher education and research institutions (HERs), to establish clear policies that support researchers in efficiently using technology and enhancing their research skills and knowledge.