In higher education, cheating students via generative AI dominates, but universities and technology companies also face ethical problems

Debates about generative artificial intelligence on college campuses have largely focused on cheating students. But focusing on cheating overlooks a range of ethical concerns facing higher education institutions, from the use of copyrighted material in large language models to student privacy.

As a sociologist who teaches about AI and studies the impact of this technology on work, I am well-versed in research on the rise of AI and its social consequences. And when you look at ethical issues from multiple perspectives – from the perspective of students, universities and technology companies – it becomes clear that the burden of responsible AI use should not fall solely on the shoulders of students.

I argue that, in general, the responsibility begins with the companies behind this technology and that it must be borne by the universities themselves.

To ban or not to ban generative AI

Let’s start where some colleges and universities did:…