Autoethnography: Understandings, Evolution, and the Influence of GenAI

Autoethnography occupies a central place within qualitative research because of its focus on lived experience, reflexivity, and meaning-making. In this paper, I critically examine the implications of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for autoethnographic inquiry through a reflexive and theoretically informed discussion situated within the contemporary AI-mediated era. By revisiting key understandings and developments of autoethnography while drawing on technological mediation theory, I explore how GenAI extends beyond a mere tool to become a mediating mechanism capable of profoundly shaping autoethnographic practice. Attention is given to how seemingly minor AI-generated alterations may transform lived experience into more polished, coherent, and emotionally curated narratives, potentially displacing the researcher’s interpretive voice and compromising epistemic authenticity. The discussion further highlights the seductive, alluring, and potentially addictive dimensions of GenAI engagement for the autoethnographer. I argue that GenAI should not be viewed merely as a neutral tool but as a mediating presence that reshapes the conditions under which knowledge is produced.