This article examines the current ethical considerations surrounding the use of ChatGPT in higher education and its impact on student learning. In the academic context, ethics is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and preparing students to be both skilled and ethically responsible professionals. However, the increasing integration of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education poses significant ethical challenges. This paper explores key ethical concerns related to ChatGPT, including issues of plagiarism and cheating, the potential for students to become overly dependent on AI, thereby hindering their cognitive development, and concerns about data privacy, security, and accountability. Additionally, the paper addresses the risk of AI displacing conventional educational methods. The findings emphasize the urgent need for universities to develop clear ethical frameworks and decision-making tools or policies to guide the responsible ethical use of AI. It also highlights the importance of fostering AI literacy among both students and educators to ensure a balanced understanding of AI’s capabilities and limitations. Likewise, with UNISA, universities are encouraged to adopt technologies such as exam proctoring software, Turnitin which has AI-detector feature, and apps like Invigilator and Moodle’s Iris Invigilator to uphold assessment integrity and prevent AI-related misconduct; and similarly with the Regent Business School which uses SMOWL to cultivate integrity during online exams.
Introduction and Background
According to Gülcan (2015), ethics plays a crucial role across all fields of study. Education, in particular, is a fundamental asset for human, economic, and social development (Right to Education, 2023). Thus, ethics is especially significant in the realm of education. Gülcan (2015, p. 2622) emphasized that “ethics should be placed as a course in the educational system.” While there is often confusion between ethics and morals (Chowdhury, 2016), ethics is specifically defined as the study of moral principles, focusing on the moral beliefs and standards that guide people’s actions. Individuals have the capacity to reflect on and evaluate their decisions and behaviours, which inevitably have consequences. As a result, they are held accountable for their ethical conduct. Ethical concepts encompass ideas of right and wrong, justice and injustice, good and evil, as well as honesty, trustworthiness, and respect for the rights and privacy of others in society (Chowdhury, 2016). Additionally, Chowdhury distinguishes between applied ethics and professional ethics, noting that professional ethics are specific codes of conduct that govern the behaviour of those who are engaged in a common profession and must be adhered to by all involved (Chowdhury, 2016). Kriel, Livingston, and Kwenda (n.d.) further underscore the strong connection between professional ethics and applied ethics.
In this context, the applied ethics in higher education institutions and adherence to ethical standards and morals is of paramount importance. Applied ethics addresses situations that were not previously considered moral issues, thereby exposing both teachers and students to ethical practice (Kriel, Livingston & Kwenda, n.d.). To ensure this, teachers are diligently selecting and scrutinizing the content they teach, carefully monitoring their interactions with students, and creating experiences that emphasize ethical practice. They are also ensuring fairness and honesty in assessments, along with thorough lesson preparation (Kriel, Livingston & Kwenda, n.d.). These ongoing efforts are essential in preparing graduates who are equipped to contribute ethically to the business world.
Nevertheless, universities still deal with several of the unethical behaviours prevalent among students such as the use of mobile phones in class, cheating during exams, laziness and/or plagiarising others’ work. Although universities utilise plagiarism software to gauge students’ plagiarism and still undertakes disciplinary actions against such behaviours, it rarely has a lasting impact (UNODC, 2018). Now given the proliferation of technological platforms like Artificial Intelligence (AI), universities are facing a bigger challenge of examining AI tool Chat GPT’s ethics and making sure that ethical behaviour is still maintained within teaching and learning in business universities. In the current era, technology and science are having a pervasive impact on society, while there are other increased societal complexities. As such, this supports the significance of morals, values, and ethics as well as the advantages they have in student learning.
ChatGPT Ethical Concerns
AI chat box such as Chat GPT are becoming increasingly popular in enhancing learning and teaching effectiveness (Yang, Dong & Yu, 2024). However, in order to integrate Chat GPT in learning, its challenges must be scrutinised and be overcome. The use of AI tools like ChatGPT in higher academic institutions raises several ethical concerns and challenges. Academic integrity is being challenged by plagiarism and cheating, as students may resort to using ChatGPT to produce content and claim it as their own, violating academic integrity policies; students can also cheat by relying on AI to complete assignments, essays, or exam questions, ultimately diminishing the value of education.
One other challenge is that students can be overly dependent on the use of AI tools and would impede the development of cognitive skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students. Many universities pride themselves with the research component of their students. It is in this component that the university examine its contribution to the world. All knowledge and innovation coming from higher academic institutions not only brings an impact to the academic world, but also to the broader society. As such, if students rely too much on AI for writing and research, they might not develop essential skills needed for their academic and professional careers.
Furthermore, the issues of privacy, data security and accountability are brought into question. In utilising ChatGPT students or users shares their personal data. There are concerns about how this data is stored, used, and who has access to it. ChatGPT also generates responses based on data it has been trained on, which includes published content. There are concerns about how this content is used and whether it infringes on copyrights. Consequently, there is no accountability as to who is responsible for the outcomes produced by AI tools.
Lastly, there is a moral debate concerning whether AI should only be used as an additional tool to improve learning or if it runs the risk of displacing conventional educational methods like mentorship and face-to-face interaction. In a study conducted by Seo et al. (2021) both the students and teachers perceived AI system as a double-edged swords. While instructors and students valued AI’s quick communication, they were also wary of misinterpretations or deceptions stemming from AI. While instructors and students appreciated AI’s personalized, just-in-time support, they were concerned that AI would take away from their freedom to learn independently. Although teachers and students appreciated the social cues AI offered, they felt uneasy about their privacy being compromised by AI’s excessive data collection (Seo et al., 2021).
What can Universities do?
Thus, this calls for action for academic institutions to develop clear ethical frameworks and decision-making tools or policies regarding responsible ethical use of AI system. This includes defining acceptable uses, limitations, and consequences for misuse. It is found by Seo et al. (2021) that although the AI system’s response is only an algorithm derived from gathered data, students generally assume that the AI system will provide reliable results. Fostering AI literacy therefore to both students and educators that are with or without technical experience to address misconceptions such as these, is highly recommended. Students as well as faculties must be educated about the ethical ramifications of AI use, its capabilities and the limitations or constraints of AI (Long & Magerko, 2020).
According to Ndlovu (2024) academic institutions that have still adopted face-to-face traditional teaching method may be easier for them to prevent and monitor the use of AI tools in learning. However, for universities that have adopted Online Distance Learning (ODL) in which teaching, assessments and written submissions are done online, are susceptible to having students heavily rely on AI tools. A number of technologies that assist with detecting the use of AI in assessments to ensure educational integrity have already been adopted by the University of South Africa (UNISA). Such software are Exam Proctoring software which helps prevent AI cheating; Turnitin, a plagiarism detector that has an AI content detector; Invigilator app, Moodle and Iris Invigilator which helps with checking assessment integrity. Additionally, the Regent Business School uses the SMOWL, a software that monitors students behaviour during online exams, and generate evidence to uphold integrity in decision making of online exams (SMOWL, 2024)
Moreover, developing students’ cognitive ability to gauge how much of learning in content provided has been comprehended and can be applied in real life scenarios by students, is important to teachers. However, even with hard assessments that requires students to discuss, argue, write essays and critique concepts, a simple prompt to AI tool generate this information to students. As such, Mr Grayson from the University of Witwatersrand asserted that assessments in universities must be redesigned; in which, for instance, students are granted assessments that pushes them to state the positives of AI and critique some uses of features of AI in learning. To educators generally, gauging students’ raw capacity and knowing and seeing that students are able to comprehend the content delivered in class is more important than how well students can use a particular tool (Ndlovu, 2024). It is therefore recommended that, although AI system is designed as an effective tool to enhance and support learning, it is to the benefit of teaching and learning to use these systems with the consideration of the perceived ethical dilemmas and drawbacks.