On‐Campus Generative <scp>AI</scp> Deployment as a Socio‐Technical Information Practice: Evidence from Interviews with Students

ABSTRACT On‐campus generative AI (GenAI) deployment enhances the digital infrastructure of universities and can provide opportunities for students to interact with GenAI. However, limited research has explored the attitudes of college students initially exposed to on‐campus GenAI deployment. This study conducts semi‐structured interviews with 13 participants based on the socio‐technical configuration perspective. The preliminary findings show that the on‐campus GenAI deployment as a socio‐technical enacted information practice has four characteristics: AI‐focused activities, generative of rules and norms, the inclusion of individual and collective agency, and the embrace of the body and materiality. Furthermore, our findings illuminate students' general understanding of on‐campus GenAI deployment, their developing prompt literacy, and their primary concerns and worries regarding its use. This work provides valuable insights into student attitudes toward on‐campus GenAI deployment and contributes to a nuanced understanding of such information practices.