Educators worry about the ethics of AI in education, while students are concerned about privacy

Over 50% of students said they've violated their school's AI policy, including 63% of high schoolers

There seems to be a growing divide between how different players within education see artificial intelligence, namely that educators are concerned about it and students love it. For example, a Quizlet report from July found just 33% of educators say AI creates a more equitable education system, compared to 41% of students.

Now a new survey from AI text analysis platform Copyleaks, which looked at the ethical considerations surrounding AI in education, also found a gap when it came to the ethical concerns, trust levels, and perceptions about AI’s impact on educational integrity.

Surveying 1,000 students and 250 educators across the United States, the study found that 68% of educators worried the importance of providing ethical training on AI in schools, compared to just 41.1% of students. And while 45.2% of educators support using AI to prevent academic dishonesty, 40% of students cite concerns over privacy through the use of these tools. 

In all, 55% of students admitted to using AI in ways that violate their school's ethics policies; that includes 63% of high school students, 60.1% of graduate students, 47.6% of middle school students, and 46% of undergraduates. Split along gender lines, 63.7% of male students admitted to this, compared to 51.2% of female students.

Meanwhile, on the educator side, only 26% said that they had violated their school's ethics policies. 

Both educators and students said they feel comfortable using AI-powered educational platforms, with 73% of educators saying so, and 67.5% of students, but students are more like to frequently use them, 45.6% doing so, compared to 36.4% of educators. Yet, neither side discusses their use of AI with their peers: only around 32% of educators said they do this, and just 21.3% of students admitted to frequently discussing their AI usage with peers. 

Students also show more hesitation towards AI-assisted grading, with 64.8% preferring human-based evaluations, compared to 46.0% of educators. A majority of both sides also agree that AI will not replace teachers, but just barely: that view was shared by 57.6% of educators and 50.9% of students. 

“As AI becomes more prevalent in education, the ethical divide between students and educators is becoming increasingly apparent,” Alon Yamin, CEO and co-founder of Copyleaks, said in a statement. 

“The data highlights a critical need for institutions to provide clear policies and guidance to ensure ethical AI usage, clearly stating when AI can be used and when it can’t, alongside the ramifications of unethical AI practices.”

(Image source: copyleaks.com)