This study examines the transformative potential of AI learning assistants in high-er education, emphasizing how these systems reconfigure key educational process-es, including qualification, self-education, and socialization. Using a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative survey data from n = 113 participants and qualitative focus group discussions (n = 32), this research investigates how AI systems such as the VISION AI Mentor affect students’ educational experiences. The findings demonstrate that AI systems initiate significant shifts in the dynam-ics of academic interaction and peer collaboration, giving rise to new modes of engagement and communication. The integration of AI tools introduces a trans-formative interplay between personalized learning pathways and established aca-demic practices, simultaneously reconfiguring the structures of academic collabora-tion. These shifts create new opportunities for reimagining how students engage with learning, promoting a more adaptive and responsive educational environ-ment. This transformation enables the coexistence of efficiency and deeper intellec-tual engagement, encouraging students to navigate learning processes through newly formed patterns of self-regulation and inquiry. The study advocates for a strategic integration of AI that capitalizes on these emerging shifts, ensuring that AI tools serve as enhancers of human-centered educational processes. By aligning AI’s capabilities in task automation with the broader objectives of fostering criti-cal thinking and intellectual autonomy, AI can support the redefinition of tradi-tional academic structures.