Adopting an AI-assisted thematic approach: Exploring everyday use of Generative AI through qualitative data analysis

This study explores everyday GenAI use through an empirical, interpretivist investigation involving eighty-eight qualitative survey responses. Drawing inferences from Davis’s (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the socio-technical perspective (Trist & Bamforth, 1951). The research offers two key contributions. First, it identifies three thematic patterns in GenAI use: (1) A Journey of Discovery, (2) Workplace Partner-Friend or Foe, and (3) AI’s Ethical Crossroads. The findings also illustrate that, contrary to concerns of knowledge dilution, findings suggest that GenAI serves as a cognitive amplifier, enabling users to reallocate effort toward more complex and creative tasks. This study advances our understanding of GenAI’s socio-technical implications and offers actionable methodological guidance for qualitative researchers. Second, it proposes a novel methodological framework, the AI-Assisted Thematic Approach, which supports qualitative data analysis.