As a machine learning system based on large-scale language models, ChatGPT has achieved phenomenal success since its inception and has sparked heated discussions about its application in higher education. As an artificial intelligence technology that summarizes the statistical patterns of human language use, ChatGPT has certain limitations in terms of logical reasoning, credibility, creativity, originality, and understanding. The current academic concerns about the application of ChatGPT in higher education mainly include three aspects: the alienation of higher education, the threat to the identity recognition of university teachers, and the shaking of the status of universities. The misconception of equating ChatGPT with general artificial intelligence, as well as the anxiety over the reification logic in the field of higher education, are the root causes of the above concerns. To address these issues, it is necessary to rationally view the human-machine relationship in the era of artificial intelligence, to return higher education practice to its essence, and to take defensive measures while adapting to ChatGPT.