When artificial neural networks and deep learning techniques were first used by University of Toronto researchers to cut down the error rate in object recognition in computer vision in 2012, this catalyzed the so-called AI boom. This period of race and rapid progress in the artificial intelligence sector urged companies, organizations, and individual specialists across the world to double their commercial and research efforts in AI. And now this race is in its full swing.
In 2022, the AI boom resulted in the rise of publicly accessible generative AI. Tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Jasper, and many others enabled users to perform a great variety of tasks with the help of artificial intelligence.
Students quickly hopped into the game, too. They found generative tools particularly helpful in their studies. Students who used to hire essay writers before switched to relying on machines in this matter. Studies found that 27% of students adopted AI writing tools in the spring of 2023. By the same year’s fall, this number already reached 49%.
Today, AI is still highly popular among learners. While it’s a natural part of young people’s becoming more future-ready, many concerns associated with AI ethics and tech responsibility are hidden here.
AI Ethics
Technoethics – the sub-field of ethics that addresses the ethical concerns in the era of technology – deals with all kinds of technology, its use, and its impact on our lives. The ethics of artificial intelligence is a branch of technoethics that studies and regulates the ethical side of using AI systems. This branch of ethics covers a huge number of topics within the AI medium, including:
- Algorithmic biases;
- Privacy;
- AI-enabled misinformation;
- Technological unemployment;
- Automated decision-making;
- And many others.
Critical Ethics Issues With AI
Although AI systems are predicted to improve our lives across different mediums, there are still a number of ethical issues that must be addressed.
Students’ Use of AI
In terms of students using artificial intelligence in their studies, we can outline two major issues:
- AI Cheating – After the boom of generative AI tools, many students explored them not as auxiliary research tools but rather as advanced programs for completing their tasks dishonestly. This has a number of problems. First of all, most educators consider papers and assignments generated with AI to be academic cheating. Secondly, there is still a gap in accuracy – most AI tools have restricted access to fresh data, facts, and stats.
- Privacy – Artificial intelligence technology allows automatic data collection and identity linking across various mediums. Since we don’t have sufficient information and studies on how AI tools collect and use users’ data, there are significant privacy concerns.
Teachers’ Use of AI
The number of faculty staff adopting AI is significantly smaller compared to students (22% as of fall 2023). Still, more and more educators are gradually adopting artificial intelligence to automate daily tasks and improve the quality of learning. And this also has several ethical issues:
- Bias – Artificial intelligence systems are only as good as the data on which they were trained. Respectively, there is a growing concern about potential bias and discrimination in educational AI tools, such as in automated scoring systems.
- Surveillance – AI predictive tools typically make projections based on users’ actions to detect patterns and preferences. Although this could be a big breakthrough in personalized learning, it also means that such systems might have surveillance mechanisms embedded into them.
- Autonomy – Again, analyzing students’ performances and predicting their results can help personalize their academic paths and boost their efficiency. However, it also has the potential to jeopardize students’ autonomy and freedom of choice in their studies.
How Can Students Contribute to the Future of Tech Responsibility
As you can see, there are quite a few ethical concerns around AI and its use by students and teachers as well. So how can we mitigate these issues and strengthen tech responsibility?
There are several things students can do to shape the future. First and foremost, students must learn how to leverage AI ethically for their schoolwork. There are a few rules that can help:
- Be transparent. Ask your teachers if using ChatGPT or similar systems is allowed for your assignment, and clarify the terms of its use.
- Fact-check every response. Since AI may not access the most recent data, you should carefully double-check all facts and stats it gives you.
- Be a critical thinker. Generative AI systems are trained based on the data available on the Internet. And, as we all know, not all information out there is truthful and objective, so you should always think critically and challenge the information you get.
- Keep an eye on bias. A 2023 study of ChatGPT by The Asahi Shimbun, revealed that 41.5% of chatbot’s answers were gender biased. In addition, the tool is proven to have race, age, and other biases too. Hence, it’s crucial to keep an eye on this and avoid bias in your schoolwork.
Last but not least, remember to use AI as an auxiliary tool and not a crutch in your studies. Despite significant advances in this field, AI systems still can’t compare to humans in terms of critical thinking, creativity, and other abilities. Hence, sometimes, it’s still better to find the best website for assignment writing and leverage the help of human writers instead of relying blindly on a computer.
Author Profile
Content writer Nicole Hardy is celebrated for her detailed and thoughtful journalism within the realms of education and the arts, with a special emphasis on performing arts education. Over the course of her decade-long career, Hardy has earned a reputation as a trusted expert in her field. Her writing is marked by thorough analysis and a captivating style of storytelling. She earned her Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Arts, with a focus on arts and culture journalism.
