Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly being used in higher education, raising questions about its impact on teaching and learning. This special issue explores the opportunities and challenges of GenAI in higher education, including its potential to enhance learning and teaching, as well as concerns about academic integrity and ethical issues. GenAI, such as ChatGPT, is based on large language models and can generate text, audio, or image-based responses to questions, including complex ones. Its ease of use and perceived difficulty in detection have led to increased usage among students and universities. However, there are concerns about its potential misuse, particularly in relation to academic integrity. The special issue includes five original research papers that examine GenAI in different country contexts, focusing on learning and teaching, academic integrity, ethics, and social well-being. The papers highlight the potential of GenAI to support learning and teaching, but also raise concerns about its ethical implications and the need for institutional policies to ensure its responsible use. The special issue calls for further research on the ethical use of GenAI, its impact on learning and teaching, and the training needed for academic and support staff to ensure its equitable use. While GenAI shows great potential, it is still too early to determine whether it will be a paradigm shift for higher education.Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly being used in higher education, raising questions about its impact on teaching and learning. This special issue explores the opportunities and challenges of GenAI in higher education, including its potential to enhance learning and teaching, as well as concerns about academic integrity and ethical issues. GenAI, such as ChatGPT, is based on large language models and can generate text, audio, or image-based responses to questions, including complex ones. Its ease of use and perceived difficulty in detection have led to increased usage among students and universities. However, there are concerns about its potential misuse, particularly in relation to academic integrity. The special issue includes five original research papers that examine GenAI in different country contexts, focusing on learning and teaching, academic integrity, ethics, and social well-being. The papers highlight the potential of GenAI to support learning and teaching, but also raise concerns about its ethical implications and the need for institutional policies to ensure its responsible use. The special issue calls for further research on the ethical use of GenAI, its impact on learning and teaching, and the training needed for academic and support staff to ensure its equitable use. While GenAI shows great potential, it is still too early to determine whether it will be a paradigm shift for higher education.