An Activity Theory Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Use in Postgraduate Thesis Writing in Morocco and the United Arab Emirates

Abstract Within contemporary Technology-Enhanced Learning literature, growing attention is paid to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in postgraduate research. While current studies document student perceptions and practical uses, there remains a critical gap in understanding how these tools restructure the systemic, socio-cultural dynamics of doctoral writing. This study adopts a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) framework to examine how institutional contexts, academic communities, and the division of labor between student and technology shape postgraduate decisions regarding AI use in thesis production. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from postgraduate participants across Morocco and the UAE, encompassing 33 quantitative questionnaire responses and two qualitative semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire identified students’ aims for using or avoiding AI and the main contradictions they experience, while the interviews explored these issues deeper within the wider academic activity system. By reframing AI as a mediating artifact rather than an individual choice, this study contributes a nuanced socio-cultural perspective to the literature on academic literacies. Ultimately, these insights advance theoretical understandings of human-technology collaboration and inform more realistic, ethically grounded institutional policies and academic guidance regarding AI integration in higher education.