Abstract
The rapid integration of AI tools in higher education, exemplified by recent controversies surrounding ChatGPT, is rapidly changing academic practices in generally resource-constrained contexts, such as those in Gauteng universities in South Africa. This qualitative case study investigates how students’ over-reliance on AI-powered writing tools erodes critical thinking and undermines academic integrity to the detriment of sustainable educational development in line with SDG 4: Quality Education. Using self-determination theory, cognitive load theory, theory of planned behaviour, and moral development theory, this study investigates 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students at one Gauteng university through phenomenological semi-structured interviews. Sampling was purposive across diverse faculties to ensure variation in students’ engagement with AI. Thematic analysis via Atlas.ti yielded four major themes: (1) cognitive offloading diminishing autonomy and depth of reflection; (2) surface-level engagement reducing the analytical sophistication of tasks; (3) ethical ambiguities surrounding the norm of authorship and plagiarism; and (4) contextual pressures such as workload inequalities that exacerbate vulnerabilities. These findings are supported by empirical literature indicating declines of 15-25% in metacognition and integrity risks due to unguided AI use. In the heterogeneous Gauteng setting, AI cloaks skill deficits but entrenches divides and complicates equitable learning. In a theoretical contribution, this study extends cognitive and ethical frameworks to African digital ecologies, while also recommending practical solutions, including scaffolded AI literacy programs, policy reforms for transparency and disclosure, and assessment redesigns that encourage reflective tasks. These interventions will ensure resilient, ethics-grounded learners for whom AI augments, rather than undermines, sustainable human capital development. By striking a balance between innovation and integrity, universities can achieve SDG 4 targets for inclusive lifelong education in increasingly technologically disrupted settings.