Academic
integrity
& Ethics

New artificial intelligence (AI) tools and large language models (LLM) (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing Chat) interact in a conversational way and have many uses, but they also present ethical challenges. Some key issues for educators related to AI-generated information are:

• Transparency as sources are not identified and accuracy cannot be confirmed
• Intellectual property issues due to unclear data ownership, authorship and citation information
• Low reliability as inaccurate or biased data may be sourced or fantasy responses provided
• Misinformation based on examples and data provided
• Lack of accountability since the source of data is unclear
• Privacy and security concerns as data could be misused or in breach of privacy requirements
• Perpetuating stereotypes, ageism, sexism and racism

These ethical concerns highlight the need for transparency, critical evaluation of AI-generated content, and proper citation when using AI in academic work.

Maintaining student privacy is essential. Instructors should carefully check technology signup requirements and terms of use before adopting AI tools in the classroom. To maintain privacy (and meet FIPPA requirements) instructors must ensure AI tools do not collect student data (e.g., phone number, email address, age) without proper safeguards. If an AI tool does not meet privacy requirements, its use must be voluntary, and alternatives should be provided to students. By prioritizing student privacy and compliance, instructors can integrate AI responsibly while protecting learners.

Generative AI companies collect personal information from the time that a user visits the site to their completion of using their services. At minimum, account data includes enough information to associate the individual with their account to login (this is usually name and email address). Sometimes setting up accounts includes providing additional demographic data that is either optional or mandatory. For services that require payment, the transaction directly links the user's payment details to their account and activity, making it difficult to remain anonymous or use an alias. These data collection practices raise privacy concerns, as stored information could be misused, shared, or accessed without authorization. By understanding these risks, instructors can make informed decisions when incorporating AI into teaching and learning while ensuring that privacy remains a top priority.