Table 3 Media frames, units of discourse analysis contents, selected articles, and the summary of the CMDA contents

The Potential Conflict and Crisis in Academic Research and Publication

 STEM Editorials

 Research Ethics, Scientific writing, Authorship

 Editorial-1; Editorial-2; Editorial-3; Editorial-5

 STEM Newspapers

 Authorship and Moral Dilemma to Utilizing ChatGPT

 Nature-6; Nature-7; Nature-11

 Higher Education Magazines

 Ambiguous Authorship as Research Assistants, Editors, or Collaborators

CHE-5; IHE-4; IHE-22

The initial media discourse was about the potential conflict and crisis in academic research and publication. Most of the chosen articles from the three stakeholder groups commonly mentioned ethical issues in scientific research. STEM editorials illuminated numerous risk factors, such as scientific writing, authorship, and ground rules, in which there are very few new ethical boundaries and challenges to deal with authors’ potential use of AI chatbots in academic publications. STEM newspapers also expressed similar concerns. Some articles focused more on authorship issues and moral dilemmas to utilizing ChatGPT. Higher education magazines also mentioned academic writing issues, raising critical questions about authorship and its ambiguity when using ChatGPT. Overall, STEM editorials expressed more general issues about research ethics, while the other stakeholder groups underlined authorship issues

The Potential Conflict and Crisis in Teaching and Learning

 STEM Editorials:

 Academic Integrity Issues of Students

 Editorial-5

 STEM Newspapers

 Academics’ Anxiety versus Concerns about Students’ Essays

 Nature-2; Nature-4; Nature-9

 Higher Education Magazines

 Biases Toward Students’ Academic Integrity in Writing Despite the Reality

 CHE-1; CHE-3; IHE-18; IHE-27; THE-5

While many STEM newspapers (n = 6) and higher education magazines (n = 43) covered the potential conflict and crisis in teaching and learning, most STEM editorials neglected to discuss this important item. Nevertheless, one article, Editorial-5, portrayed academic integrity issues of students when writing essays. STEM newspapers and higher education magazines also commonly covered students’ academic integrity issues involving writing assignments. More specifically, chosen articles from STEM newspapers mentioned these issues from the educators’ perspectives, while higher education magazines expressed some biases toward the use of ChatGPT that can be negotiable, although there are still no clear ethical boundaries in mutual teaching and learning. Overall, the primary concerns have been related to academic integrity issues, academics’ anxiety versus concerns about students’ essay assignments, and skeptical viewpoints about using AI chatbots for writing assignments

The Potential Conflict and Crisis in HR Management

 STEM Editorials

 Anxiety about the Future of Human Intelligence in Research Community

 Editorial-4; Editorial-6

 STEM Newspapers

The Knowledge Competition between AI and Human Intelligence in STEM Research

 Nature-1; Nature-10; Nature-12;

 HE Magazines

 Will AI Replace Human Intelligence in Higher Education or Co-exist?

 CHE-10; IHE-24; IHE-31; THE-2

Writers of the three different stakeholder groups commonly mentioned the potential conflict and crisis in HR management. Considering the positionalities of the writers and characteristics of the media outlets, each stakeholder group represented different areas of HR management; STEM editorials and newspapers discussed the impact of ChatGPT on scientific research communities. Whereas STEM editorials discussed anxiety, STEM newspapers promoted a scholarly debate regarding the knowledge competition between AI and human intelligence. Similarly, writers of higher education magazines portrayed the potential crisis in HR management, questioning whether AI will replace or co-exist with human intelligence. AI chatbots have benefited the STEM research communities and higher education administration, teaching, and research, the growing concerns and risk factors may influence the future of human intelligence in academia