Introduction
Today, artificial intelligence is one of the new concepts in scientific and academic communities, and its application is evident in most scientific and applied fields. The benefits of artificial intelligence for acquiring, searching, and retrieving information and academic knowledge of students are undeniable, as evidence shows; however, its possible challenges in the process of acquiring knowledge cannot be ignored. The use of artificial intelligence by students to retrieve and acquire knowledge and information can bring both advantages and challenges, but what is important is that the advantages outweigh the challenges, and this will be possible when these challenges are identified and managed. Among the diverse students who use AI to search for information and knowledge, the importance of identifying and managing challenges for Farhangian University students is heightened. These students are responsible for educating the next generation, and the challenges of AI for their knowledge acquisition and retrieval may affect students who will be educated by them in the future. In this case, identifying the challenges of using AI to acquire knowledge among Farhangian University students is essential.
Research Questions
1. Considering the lived experiences of students at Farhangian University of Kurdistan Province, what challenges does the use of artificial intelligence pose for their knowledge acquisition and retrieval of scientific information?
2. Considering the lived experiences of students at Farhangian University of Kurdistan Province, what solutions are there to overcome the challenges of using artificial intelligence in students' knowledge acquisition and retrieval of scientific information?
Literature Review
Several studies have addressed the challenges posed by artificial intelligence for searching for information and acquiring knowledge in scientific and educational environments, as well as strategies for overcoming these challenges. These include Ghaeimi et al. (2025), who examined changes in subcultures and organizational climates of schools and universities and the formulation and adaptation of laws and regulations; Rajabiyan Dehzireh (2024), who addressed educational, interactive, technological, cultural, and economic challenges and proposed using artificial intelligence as an educational assistant, formulating policies and laws, teaching how to use artificial intelligence, and building culture; Motaghi Destenaei et al. (2024), who examined awareness of artificial intelligence and its role in education in order to reduce challenges; Mokhtari and Rezvani (2023), who addressed the inability of artificial intelligence to replace teachers; Mustopa et al. (2024), who pointed out the challenge of infrastructure and internet access in Indonesia, the challenge of the shortage of human resources and skilled instructors in the field of AI in India, and the challenge of balancing the use of advanced AI technologies, privacy protection, and capacity development to adapt to rapid advances in technology-based education in China; Jie and Kamrozzaman (2024), who pointed out the over-reliance on AI and the lack of awareness and understanding of students in using AI applications; and Saputra et al. (2023), who pointed out educational opportunities such as the provision of educational materials, assessment, management systems, and educational policy-making, and challenges such as educational ethics, limitations in preparing teachers for AI competencies, and slow changes in the structure of the curriculum and teaching.
Methodology
To achieve the research goal, the critical paradigm of the qualitative approach and the Colaizzi phenomenological strategy were used. The research field included students of Farhangian University of Kurdistan Province in 2025. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews. A total of 32 students were interviewed through purposeful and criterion-based selection until data saturation was achieved. The findings were analyzed through inductive analysis of written text.
Results
The research findings were presented in two sections: challenges of artificial intelligence for students' knowledge acquisition and solutions to overcome the challenges. The section on challenges of artificial intelligence for students' knowledge acquisition was presented in two areas: challenges to the position of knowledge acquisition for students and challenges to the quality and quantity of knowledge acquisition by students. Also, solutions to overcome these challenges were discussed in two areas: individual solutions and solutions based on the scientific and educational environment of Farhangian University.
Conclusion
Regarding the challenge to the status of acquiring knowledge, issues such as reduced motivation to acquire knowledge, the habit of procrastinating in acquiring knowledge, reduced scientific responsibility, reduced creativity, and the loss of the value of the process of acquiring knowledge and interacting with scientific information were mentioned. Ultimately, these issues led to a decrease in the quality and quantity of students' knowledge, such as a decrease in their teaching knowledge and level of study and research, and also challenged their production of scientific texts. Such issues showed that the application of artificial intelligence by Farhangian University students did not simply lead to a decrease in their scientific level; rather, it undermined the status of acquiring knowledge and direct interaction with scientific information in their minds and made it appear less valuable, which ultimately led Farhangian University students to avoid acquiring knowledge and produced a generation of teachers who avoided science and were indifferent to the value and status of knowledge. Of course, these challenges are not limited to simply reducing the scientific level of future teachers; they also affect their students and will lead to a decrease in the level of knowledge and knowledge transfer in schools and a decrease in the status of teachers.
In order to overcome the challenges, students pointed out various solutions that fell into two areas: solutions based on students and solutions based on the educational and scientific environment of Farhangian University. According to the students, what needs to be considered regarding the application of artificial intelligence tools among Farhangian University students is preparing the ground and teaching them how to use these tools correctly, before the spread of excessive and unprincipled use at Farhangian University and the cultural lag of students in using them. This can ultimately prevent some of the deep challenges in acquiring knowledge and interacting with scientific information by students, as well as challenges based on the type of interaction they have with information in their future work. Therefore, the basic solution to overcome the challenges of artificial intelligence for acquiring knowledge and interacting with information among students at Farhangian University was to create an appropriate context and background at this university and to develop a principled procedure for using artificial intelligence in acquiring knowledge and interacting with information before learning it, which was possible without the use of coercion or arbitrary rules and by reforming the culture of using artificial intelligence.