<p>Grounded in Meaning-Making Theory and the Broaden-and-Build Theory, this study investigated the psychological mechanisms linking loneliness to university students’ attitudes toward generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Specifically, it examined the mediating role of meaning in life and the moderating role of academic engagement, with a further exploration of gender differences. A total of 1,651 Chinese university students (mean age = 20.41, SD = 2.62) from 26 provinces participated in the study through convenience sampling. Participants completed validated self-report measures of loneliness, meaning in life, academic engagement, and attitudes toward GenAI. Latent moderated structural equation modeling (LMS) was used to test the proposed model. Results indicated that loneliness negatively predicted attitudes toward GenAI, with meaning in life serving as a significant mediator. Academic engagement moderated the first stage of mediation: the negative impact of loneliness on meaning in life was stronger among students with higher levels of academic engagement. Gender-based analysis revealed that the mediating effect was full among males but partial among females. These findings highlight the psychological and gendered pathways through which loneliness influences GenAI attitudes, emphasizing the importance of fostering meaning in life and academic engagement in educational and psychological interventions.</p>