"I Use AI, But I Am Not Sure If It Is Making Me Better": GenAI Literacy, Self- Regulation, and HR Workforce Readiness

Abstract

The integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into higher education raises a practical question for talent acquisition: whether students are developing the literacy, self-regulation, and professional judgement required for responsible AI use in future HR work. This study applies Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of thirty management undergraduates recruited via purposive sampling from selected state and non-state universities in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, with particular attention to Human Resource Management (HRM) oriented learning and workforce readiness. Guided by the GenAI Human Resource Readiness Framework (GHRF), introduced as an original theoretical contribution, the analysis generated three main finding areas: GenAI literacy as self-constructed and unevenly developed, selfregulation as personally negotiated practice, and GenAI involvement as closely connected to perceived HR workforce readiness. Within the third finding area, responsible AI use emerged as part of students’ developing HR professional identity, while readiness was experienced as tool confidence without sufficient professional wisdom. The findings suggest that students are not simply adopting GenAI as an academic convenience; they are also negotiating uncertainty, dependency, ethical boundaries, and the relevance of AI to future peoplemanagement decisions. The study contributes to AI literacy and HR education by showing that GenAI readiness requires more than tool familiarity. It calls for structured curriculum support, HR-specific AI ethics cases, and professional guidance that connects classroom-level GenAI use with responsible AI-integrated HR practice.