Co-Intelligence in Practice: Qualitative Research Education With AI

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is increasingly integrated into higher education, raising methodological and ethical questions for qualitative research instruction. This article examines how we, three experienced qualitative research instructors, integrated GAI tools into our graduate-level research methods courses. Our pedagogical approach to integrating GAI tools is situated within the broader literature on GAI in higher education and qualitative research instruction, emphasizing active learning and technological reflexivity. Our work is also guided by Ethan Mollick’s artificial intelligence (AI) principles from Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. Using reflective narrative case examples, we demonstrate how Mollick’s principles guided ethical and methodologically responsive integration of GAI, challenged assumptions about rigor and trustworthiness, and reconfigured instructor–student relationships. We conclude by highlighting tensions between efficiency, inclusion, and epistemic responsibility and implications for qualitative research education.