AI Ethics in Education: Academic Integrety and Learners' Application

The boundary between academic integrity and academic misconduct in the age of Generative AI should be altered accordingly as technology improves and academic situations change. Some people claim that Generative AI blurs the distinction between human and machine-produced content. They think that as more students misuse Generative AI to write essays and homework, bypassing learning opportunities and hard work, the use of AI may bring negative effects to student improvement. 

However, the negative attitudes toward how Generative AI affects academic integrity should not be so cut-and-dry. AI tools can facilitate the search, summary and analysis of information that students can use to enhance their learning. These benefits may ultimately aid research and critical thinking. Educators should draw the line of academic integrity based on the benefits of AI as well as its drawbacks.

Furthermore, the widespread use of AI is an irreversible trend. Many traditional capabilities and expertise will soon be mastered by AI and more human jobs are being replaced. For example, AI bots can now replace certain data analyst, programmer, and accountancy roles. We have to learn to adapt. Education should therefore change its schema, purposes, and assessment criteria to fit this new situation. Thus, the boundary of academic integrity should be reconsidered since its concept has to be redefined accordingly.

As a student, I want to utilize AI appropriately by using it to search and collect information and learn from its content critically. I will not misuse AI to finish tasks without effort, such as by committing plagiarism, because the use of AI could then bring a relatively negative effect, especially as I am still a student in the cognitive development stage. The AI training data can only reflect the body of existing human-created text. Thus, relying on AI to learn topics, search information, and summarize ideas may unconsciously constrict independent thought. Perhaps more seriously, it may impede the development of creativity in the long run. For example, some students rely on AI to write essays involving little creative thought. The boundary of academic integrity should not only determine whether a behavior is permitted or not, but also define how to use AI in an appropriate and beneficial way. Ethicists, educators, AI developers, students, and the government should work together to ensure we all use AI appropriately and beneficially.