The Saturation of Ease: Diagnosing Epistemic Stewardship and the Innovator’s Paradox in Generative Learning Environments

Abstract

This investigation diagnoses the innovator’s paradox within specialized knowledge domains, where high technical competence does not significantly predict the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI). The findings identify epistemic stewardship as the primary driver of practitioner resistance, revealing that experts reject frictionless generative heuristics to protect student epistemic agency, defined as the cognitive struggle of synthesis. Utilizing a triadic theoretical framework (TAM, Diffusion of Innovations, and HCI), this research identifies a saturation-of-ease threshold where technical efficiency conflicts with pedagogical validity. The data suggest that, for expert practitioners, perceived ease of use is a non-predictive metric of technology acceptance when it threatens the integrity of the learning process. We conclude that sustaining scholarly integrity requires a systemic shift toward Socratic architectures that prioritize cognitive friction and professional stewardship over algorithmic velocity. This transparent approach serves as a blueprint for institutional guardrails that preserve the human cognitive core within automated academic workflows.