This study provides an autoethnographic inquiry into how generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools affected the professional and creative practices of a faculty member based in Southern India. Framed through the lens of reflective practice theory, the story follows the journey from initial curiosity to confident, ethical, and intentional engagement with AI across the disciplines of teaching practice, academic writing, and institutional communication. It utilizes reflexive journals and recorded interactions and AI engagements from May to October 2025 as data sources to develop the themes of increased productivity, inclusive communication, and creative thinking in parallel with the tensions of intellectual dependency, authenticity, and data privacy. The paper situates these findings within an expansive literature review of global scholarship on AI literacy and ethical practice in higher education. Connecting lived experience and emergent frameworks of use promotes practical perspectives for educators who are reckoning with generative AI in their higher education institutions. Finally, it offers some recommendations around institutional AI literacy initiatives, reflective documentation, and contextually situated strategies for utilizing these tools in effort to support integrity and inclusivity for all learning through technology.