This study examines the potential and challenges of artificial intelligence applications like ChatGPT in higher education, drawing on the experiences of 24 academics from eight countries: Turkey, Sweden, Canada, Iran, Kenya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Japan. Employing the content analysis method, the findings reveal that ChatGPT provides significant opportunities, including enhancing text writing skills, saving time, facilitating translations, inspiring creative ideas, and offering personalized responses tailored to users' needs. These advantages highlight its potential as a transformative tool in academic and pedagogical contexts. However, the study also identifies notable challenges, such as the risk of legitimizing plagiarism, concerns about source reliability, the impact of digital dependency on productivity, a lack of cultural and social contextualization, and the potential for bias and discrimination. Furthermore, participants envision artificial intelligence driving digital transformation in higher education through developments like virtual university models, interactive educational materials, advancements in research and analysis methods, improved accessibility to information, and greater inclusiveness. These findings emphasize the need for comprehensive, interdisciplinary research to better understand both the opportunities and the limitations of ChatGPT's integration into educational settings, as well as to establish ethical guidelines and practical strategies for its responsible and effective use in higher education.