<aside> ℹ️ This session features at PAIRS 2026 Online on 17th February 2026 07:00 UTC. Registered participants will receive zoom links to join the session via e-mail.
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[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j0p1mpi4mRQNfjD6qAGaqjteiJlfYusE/view](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j0p1mpi4mRQNfjD6qAGaqjteiJlfYusE/view)
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to evolve and permeate diverse sectors, it is the open accessibility granted by Generative AI (GenAI) through its simple chat interface that has propelled it from the developer’s domain to a household phenomenon. In 2024, India witnessed the highest rate of adoption of GenAI technology in the Asia-Pacific region. The accelerated adoption of this technology calls for a closer look at the underlying negotiations from the user’s perspective.
This paper examines the public perception of GenAI among young Indian end-users through an exploratory mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative survey data and qualitative insights from a focus group discussion. The survey captured general usage patterns, complemented by the discussion which delved into the underlying lived realities of users and their terms of engagement. The findings of the survey reveal a pattern of high frequency of usage and low trust and reliability ratings. This cognitive dissonance is corroborated by the insights from the thematic analysis of the focus group transcripts.
Silverstone and Hirsch’s (1992) domestication framework states that users negotiate how technologies are accepted and integrated into their lives. Unlike traditional Technology Acceptance Models (TAM) based on perceived usefulness and ease of use, GenAI’s social and affective dimensions call for a more complex framework beyond the binaries of embracing and resisting adoption. The study identifies ongoing non-linear negotiations of trust, control, dependence, and agency which need to be addressed in participatory practices. Participants also demonstrated awareness of privacy, reliability and developmental risks, yet continued to make trade-offs in favour of the efficiency and utility provided by GenAI tools.
The average user journey shows a progression from novelty and curiosity to convenience and dependence, reflecting a shift from cognitive offloading of functional tasks to affective offloading of emotional support. When prompted to discuss the role of GenAI, participant narratives and mental models aligning with the Computer As Social Actor (CASA) paradigm emerged. Such anthropomorphic and parasocial dynamics highlight the emotional, relational and moral negotiations embedded in the domestication of this interlocutor.
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Situated within the Global South context, the study illustrates how users assert autonomy and agency, challenging both the rhetoric of AI hype and the narrative of participation as compliance. Ambivalence, skepticism, and selective usage can constitute forms of participatory refusal. Domestication is a cognitive, social, and emotional process, in which Indian youth don’t passively adopt but critically engage with the technology and shape discourse. Beyond superficial participation washing and public consultation, their experiences can inform bottom-up perspectives on the mutually influential relationship between society and technology. By foregrounding the lived negotiations of Indian youth, this study contributes to a more grounded understanding of GenAI domestication and participatory public engagement.