Promoting public awareness about the generative artificial intelligence (genAI), its proper uses, benefits, drawbacks and consequences is essential and acknowledged by AI expert and developer communities. Academia is also widely involved in the intense debate on the impact of AI technologies on the training of future professionals and the use of genAI in higher education study processes. Exposing future professionals to AI technologies, including genAI, becomes essential during their studies, when it is important to understand the various related aspects, such as the ethics of using genAI tools, the risks of plagiarism, and privacy and copyright issues, among many others. Similar studies based on data obtained through various methods, such as surveys or semi-structured interviews, have already been carried out in higher education institutions in other countries (Amani et al., 2023; Baek et al., 2024; Chan & Hu, 2023; Lee et al., 2024; Smolansky et al., 2023; to mention but a few). This study aims to explore students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the emergence of genAI tools and their experiences and challenges in higher education two years after the launch of ChatGPT, the first widely adopted genAI tool. By analyzing qualitative data obtained through focus group discussions, this research seeks to provide insights into how university teachers and students have adapted to the growing presence of genAI and how higher education institutions are maintaining the quality and integrity of learning.