Trust in GenAI: A cross-cultural study in India and Namibia

Abstract

As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools become increasingly integrated into education, understanding how users develop trust in these systems is vital. This is particularly important in Global South contexts where infrastructural and pedagogical differences may shape technology adoption. This qualitative study explores how undergraduate computer science students in India and Namibia evaluate trust in GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot. The research considers students’ daily use patterns, trust dynamics, and perceptions surrounding AI-generated content. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six participants in each country. Thematic analysis revealed two key themes of GenAI as: 1) Using GenAI as a Flexible Tool for Academic and Personal Empowerment and 2) Navigating Trust in GenAI. Trust emerged as a contextual process where students selectively evaluated AI responses based on subject familiarity, task importance, and past experiences, often cross-verifying outputs with external sources. Despite varying levels of technical understanding, students in both contexts normalized AI use, treating it as a flexible learning partner and decision-support tool. By examining trust in GenAI across two distinct cultural contexts within the Global South, this study offers a comparative perspective that highlights both shared patterns and differences that are possibly culturally specific. In doing so, it contributes to a more inclusive understanding of human-AI interaction and informs culturally responsive AI design and pedagogy.