Autoethnography: Understandings, Evolution, and the Influence of GenAI

Authors

• Prokopis Christou, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, CyprusFollow

Abstract

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.

Keywords

qualitative research, autoethnography, generative artificial intelligence, GenAI

Author Bio(s)

I am an Associate Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology, specializing in qualitative inquiry and the implications of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for qualitative research. I have published monographs, edited volumes, and articles in prestigious academic journals, including conceptual papers, critical perspective articles, and empirical studies employing ethnographic and phenomenological approaches. My scholarship has extensively examined the implications, limitations, risks, and epistemological and methodological challenges associated with the integration of GenAI into social research, with particular attention to issues of reflexivity. Through this work, I have contributed to ongoing debates on the use of AI in qualitative inquiry. Recent publications include, among others, “Reconfiguring Reflexivity in the Era of AI: From ‘Turning Back’ to ‘Looking Forward’ Through Constructivist and Posthumanist Lenses” (Christou, 2026) and “Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research Revisited and the Role of AI” (Christou, 2025). Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Acknowledgements

None

Publication Date

8-31-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Christou, P. A. (2026). Autoethnography: Understandings, evolution, and the influence of GenAI. The Qualitative Report, 31(8), 6519-6535.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6628-2619