Ethical Aspects of Using Artificial Intelligence in the Academic Space

Abstract

Our paper aims to study the correlation between artificial intelligence and the academic environment in the context of consideration and protection of academic ethics norms. Today, the values and ideals of the academic community are undergoing certain changes. The idea of the university and its values are being transformed in terms of introducing and actively protecting ethical norms. Ethical regulations have been developed and developed in universities, professors' and students' unions, and research institutions in the last two decades: ethical codes have appeared, and ethics commissions have been formed. Documents on the reorganization of higher education accepted at the international level also contain moral and ethical requirements for the academic community. All the above facts indicate that academic ethics and its applied aspects are very relevant. Discussions about the values and ideals of academia have not stopped since the Enlightenment. At the same time, the modern stage of the development of society, including the academic society, takes place in parallel with the formation of the technological worldview and its rapid dgrowth. It is significant that, in the conditions of the diffusion of dynamic technologies and the progress of Artificial Intelligence, the post-Covid era promotes the intensive development of new AI tools and their use in various areas of human life, including education and science. The Council of Europe defines artificial intelligence as: "a combination of sciences, theories, and technologies, the purpose of which is to reproduce human cognitive skills by a machine." Given the current level of development, artificial intelligence means delegating complex intellectual tasks humans perform to machines." [1]. Artificial intelligence has become an object of the surrounding reality. The rapid increase in the number of studies and the high interest of the scientific community in this phenomenon determines the need to develop a general methodology for the study of artificial intelligence as an independent, interdisciplinary scientific direction. The need for this is dictated by the need for a systematic framework to solve the research problem using the best and most available research methods according to the goal and objectives of this research. It is the methodology that distinguishes science from the so-called "common sense" of everyday ideas. The construction of theoretical models is the main power of science, which allows us to consider the heuristic confirmation of a theory as a criterion of truth in the sense of the adequacy of the description of reality. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are developing increasingly and becoming popular, and it is already integrated into the educational process of students in different countries, including Georgian universities. The high quality of work done through AI tools (Chat GPT) leads to popularity and rapid spread among students. The question is: What is artificial intelligence plagiarism?... Can the unauthorized borrowing/use of generative artificial intelligence materials be considered plagiarism?... The paper aims to investigate the aspects that determine the understanding in the academic community of compliance with academic ethics and dealing with the problem of plagiarism. Also, an analysis of copyright ethics issues and the problem of artificial intelligence plagiarism. The research task outlines the aspects that determine the understanding of the academic community, including students, regarding the relationship and compatibility issues of artificial intelligence and academic ethics or academic integrity. The research questions are: How relevant are copyright protection, author's ethics, and artificial intelligence plagiarism problems in the performance and preparation of educational tasks in the university space? What is the general approach of the university community to the compliance of author ethics and the problem of plagiarism in the academic environment when using AI tools? Are there any standards for AI plagiarism prevention? It is worth noting that at the level of individual countries and large technological companies, unique bodies are already being created that promote the introduction of ethical standards in technology. For example, in Europe, there are ethics commissions in the field of artificial intelligence. Individual specialists monitor the ethics of specific companies. In 2021, leading European companies and universities developed the first code of ethics on artificial intelligence. Is such an approach considered in the university space of Georgia? To answer these questions, the paper uses methods of analogy, typological research, and pragmatic analysis. Recommendations are presented on the activation of policies of educational institutions regarding the protection of copyright ethics and the prevention of AI plagiarism by the university community and students.