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Adopting Ethical Guidelines Towards AI Use in Education

Ethical guidelines are a possible solution to the discussion surrounding the ethics of AI in education for several reasons. Holmes (2022) addressed ethical concerns related to the use of AI in education by providing a summary of the opinions of 17 leaders in AIED. Among the key findings is the realization that many researchers in AIED lack the necessary expertise to address the ethical dilemmas that arise. Guidelines can provide a framework that helps educators make decisions about using AI in a way that is ethical and responsible. By having clear ethical guidelines, educators can avoid making haphazard or impulsive decisions that could have unintended consequences for students. Adopting ethical guidelines welcomes the use of AI in the classroom, but provides structure and policy that can be adopted by any user (district, educator, student) to regulate and control its usage. 

Guideline 1: Transparency

When creating guidelines for the use of AI in education, it is important to consider transparency. All stakeholders, including but not limited to teachers, students, and parents, should be aware of how AI is being used in the classroom. Educators should provide clear and understandable explanations of how AI works, which AI systems are being used, how they are being used, and what data is being collected and stored. This can help to ensure that everyone involved is aware not only of the benefits but also of the potential risks of using AI in education. It is essential to receive consent before using AI in education; however, it is also important that it be informed consent. Parents, students, teachers, and any other stakeholders should be aware of what they are consenting to. Mhlanga (2023) suggests transparency can be achieved by providing students with information about the algorithms and data sources used by AI technology, as well as its processing and response creation mechanisms. Employing open-source AI technology is another way to ensure transparency, as it provides users with access to the source code and data. Additionally, students must be made aware of any potential biases and limitations of AI technologies being used in the classroom (Mhlanga, 2023, p. 15). 

Guideline 2: Privacy

Privacy is important to consider when discussing the ethical use of AI within schools. AI technologies collect and process large amounts of data, which can cause concerns about student privacy and the security of their data (Zhai, 2022). Teachers must make sure that any data collected by AI is kept private and secure. This is extremely important as data collected through the education system often is directly related to minors and is strictly confidential. This could include data on student performance, behaviour, and personal information. Having policies in place that govern how this data is collected, stored, and used can help to ensure that all data is secure and kept private. Kasneci et al. (2023) suggest that schools develop and implement data privacy and security policies that "clearly outline the collection, storage, and use of student data in compliance with regulation and ethical standards" (p. 8). Before collecting personal data, it is crucial that teachers obtain explicit consent from students and parents. After receiving consent, schools should also be conducting regular audits occurring that identify and address any possible threats or areas to improve (Kasneci et al., 2023). 

Guideline 3: Bias

The third ethical guideline for using AI in education is understanding bias and limitations. AI algorithms can unintentionally perpetuate biases that exist in society as they are trained on existing data. These biases can lead to unequal and unjust outcomes for students, especially if the biases shown are related to race, gender, or socioeconomic status (Zhai. 2022). One potential use of AI technology is to grade student essays, but it's important to consider the potential implications of using it in this way. If the training data used to train that specific AI technology was biased towards a certain group, students from underrepresented groups could potentially receive unjust grades, which would perpetuate existing educational gaps and marginalize already disadvantaged populations further (Mhlanga, 2023). Educators must ensure that AI is not used to discriminate against any particular group of students. This can be done by regularly monitoring the data and algorithms to identify any biases and taking corrective action to eliminate them. Schools should check that AI technologies are "conceived, developed, and used in a fair and non-discriminatory manner at every stage of the process" (Mhlanga, 2023,p. 12). 

Guideline 4: Autonomy

AI should not be used to replace human judgment. Teachers should continue to make decisions in the classroom based on their professional judgment and expertise as well as their experience. As discussed in the perceived problem section, AI does not have human empathy or experiences to make judgment calls relevant to individual students and classrooms. AI can be used as a tool to help in decision-making, but it should never be used as the sole decision-maker. Students should also have the right to choose not to use AI or how to incorporate it into their learning if they wish.  Students can grow in their autonomy if AI technologies are used appropriately. These technologies can provide instant feedback, and individualized answers, making it convenient for students to get assistance whenever they need it. These technologies can help students become self-directed learners. However, guidelines are required for students as they "may use this tool as a means to create their work entirely without using their analytical thinking and decision-making skills" (Sok & Heng, 2023, p. 5). 

Guideline 5: Responsibility

The fifth guideline for using AI ethically is responsibility. Teachers must be held accountable for the decisions they make while using AI, such as ChatGPT. This includes ensuring that the data being used is accurate and that the decisions made are ethical (Holmes, 2022). If something goes wrong, educators must take responsibility and take appropriate action to rectify the situation. There must be clear policies and procedures in place for addressing any issues or complaints that may arise from using AI in the classroom. 

Conclusion: 

AI has the potential to change education positively. However, it is important to use it ethically. Teachers must be aware of the potential risks as well as the potential benefits of using AI and create ethical guidelines to ensure that it is used in a way that is beneficial. Transparency, privacy, bias, autonomy, and responsibility are the key items to consider when incorporating ethical guidelines into education. By following these guidelines, teachers can use AI to enhance learning experiences while maintaining the trust and respect of their students and communities. Our research is a foray into gaining a heightened understanding of AI in the classroom and an effort to better understand its ethical use and place. If this type of Ethical Framework/Guideline were to be adopted generally at all levels of education and by all stakeholders, and modified to meet the specific needs at each stakeholder level, then an industry standard of ethical AIED use would begin to take shape. To help regulate the adherence to this framework, Technology Teachers could receive additional training relate to the framework, and professional development sessions could be conducted at regular intervals to ensure all educators are up to date with the latest improvements and issues with AIED ethics. Adopting an ethical framework lays the foundation upon which AI can be effectively implemented and integrated in the Intermediate/Secondary classroom.