There is no denying that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionised industries, and the education sector is no exception. With its ability to streamline tasks, enhance learning and improve efficiency in administration and academics, AI can transform how individuals and institutions operate.
However, the growing influence of AI has also raised ethical concerns, particularly within academia. As AI becomes more integrated into educational systems, the debate around its use in assessment, student evaluation, research, and publication is intensifying, with institutions around the globe grappling with how to embrace AI while maintaining academic integrity and ethical standards.
As expected, some universities responded to the challenges posed by AI with hurried measures. University of Michigan in the US and Sciences Po in France banned AI outright, driven by fears, not wholly unfounded though, of plagiarism, fraud and the erosion of authentic academic effort. Oxford and Cambridge in the UK introduced restrictions to prevent students from using AI to falsely claim credit for work that is not their own.
For any educational institution, safeguarding the authenticity of academic submissions and maintaining the rigor of student evaluations are paramount. Their concern, therefore, that AI-generated content, if not carefully monitored, could blur the lines between genuine intellectual effort and machine-driven output is entirely justified.
The perplexing question that continues to befuddle academics is whether banning AI entirely in academic settings is a sustainable solution. Again, as expected, opinion is divided. In fact, a good number of academics believe such a step is retrograde. They argue that AI is already deeply embedded in everyday life and the professional world and therefore, students will inevitably need to learn how to navigate these tools responsibly.
For example, Arizona State University and Georgia Tech have adopted a more measured approach, allowing students to use AI to refine and edit their work while emphasising the importance of ethical use. The challenge, therefore, is not whether AI should be integrated into education but rather how it can be done in a way that preserves academic accountability.
In that sense, it is a welcome step that several universities globally are adopting balanced strategies to regulate AI use, reflecting the growing consensus that AI, when used responsibly, can enhance learning. Indian universities are not left behind. Institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science and Christ University, Bengaluru, have taken proactive measures to regulate AI use in research and assessments.
However, the challenge of using AI in research papers and academic publications is particularly complex. AI tools such as Grammarly and QuillBot have become ubiquitous for refining grammar and improving clarity in writing. While these can be helpful, they raise concerns about where to draw the line between assistance and plagiarism. The ethical dilemma arises from AI’s ability to generate entire text sections, potentially undermining the originality of scholarly work.
Cognitive scientist Dr Gary Marcus quite rightly advocates for transparency in the use of AI tools. Marcus argues that AI should complement, rather than replace, human thought. AI may assist with tasks like data analysis or literature reviews, but the core ideas, arguments and conclusions must originate from the researcher. At the same time, philosopher Daniel Dennett says the growing reliance on AI could lead to a ‘crisis of authenticity’, where machine-generated content is indistinguishable from genuine intellectual contributions.
The onus, therefore, is on individuals and institutions. As AI becomes more pervasive in academia, researchers must approach its use with caution. It offers undeniable benefits in terms of efficiency, but its use must not overshadow the critical thinking and originality that define academic scholarship. By creating clear guidelines for AI use, implementing robust peer-review processes, and educating faculty and students on ethical implications, institutions can ensure AI is a tool for enhancing, rather than diminishing, scholarly work.
In the future, AI will undoubtedly play an increasingly prominent role in academic research. Its capacity to handle complex datasets, assist with literature reviews, and generate hypotheses will significantly enhance the scope and scale of scholarly work. However, the human element—creativity, critical thinking, and ethical judgment—will and should remain at the heart of the research process.
As AI continues to evolve, so must the ethical frameworks that govern its use in academia. The challenge for educational institutions will be to strike a balance between embracing AI’s transformative potential and ensuring it does not erode the fundamental principles of academic honesty, originality, and integrity. It is up to the academic community to ensure it remains a tool that enhances genuine intellectual effort rather than replacing it. The future of academia depends on the ability to harness AI’s potential while safeguarding the principles that underpin scholarly work.
(Views are personal)
(johnjken@gmail.com)
John J Kennedy | Professor and Dean, Christ (Deemed) University, Bengaluru