The More Things Change: The Ethical Impacts of AI in Higher Education

Abstract

The release of ChatGPT and other AI tools has raised significant and challenging questions around the ethics of artificial intelligence in higher education. The initial concerns regarding AI in higher education centered on academic integrity, and the literature reflects this initial response. However, the multifaceted nature of higher education institutions means that there are many domains that will be ethically impacted by the application and implementation of AI. The purpose of this literature review is to examine these many domains and stakeholders in terms of ethical impact to surface questions, concerns, and concepts that may help practitioners navigate this complex construct of education, technology, and ethics. From the review of literature, it identifies several implications for practice including academic integrity, assessment (including the concept of cognicy and the practice of authentic assessment), policies and syllabi, and frameworks, principles, and tools. It concludes with a rumination on how the work of ethics is often accomplished through questions and that at this stage in the evolution of AI, it is difficult to identify black-letter answers. We must be prepared to adapt and evolve even as AI does.