Navigating the human-AI divide: Boundary work in the age of generative AI

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), such as ChatGPT, has recently attracted vast public attention for its remarkable ability to produce sophisticated, human-like content. As these technologies increasingly blur the boundaries between artificial and human intelligence, understanding how users perceive and manage this boundary becomes essential. Drawing on the concept of boundary work, this paper examines how GenAI users discursively and practically navigate the ontological boundaries between human intelligence and GenAI. Through a qualitative analysis of nine focus groups involving 45 college students from diverse academic backgrounds, this study identifies three types of human-GenAI boundaries: complementary, competitive, and co-evolving . Complementary boundaries highlight GenAI’s supportive and instrumental role and competitive boundaries emphasize human superiority and concerns over GenAI’s threats, while co-evolving boundaries acknowledge dynamic interplay and reflective collaboration between humans and GenAI. The paper contributes theoretically by demonstrating that human-machine boundaries are dynamic, multifaceted, and actively negotiated. Practically, it offers insights into user strategies and implications for responsible adoption of GenAI technologies in educational and organizational contexts.