AI MAY EXCERBERATE THE PROBLEMINCREASE THE THREAT
The information and communication technology (ICT) revolution has changed the way societies lived in the entire world. The changes cover the whole spectrum of human life from the way people learn, work, socialise and communicate with each other. The ICT revolution has also brought many ethical challenges into human life where people use ICT associated technologies to commit unethical behaviour. The ICT revolution has also revolutionised the way students commit unethical behaviour at universities. This has brought challenges to the integrity of the academic services that are provided by universities. This has led to the study of student ICT ethics at universities to deal with scourge associated with student ICT unethical behaviour. This research study wants to look for better ways of managing the scourge of students’ ICT unethical behaviour at universities.
ICT evolution cannot be used to compromise the integrity of learning and teaching at universities all over the world. Some behaviour committed using IT has legal implications and may negatively affect ideal conduct. This behaviour creates problems for other people when it turns out to be unethical or illegal. Various unethical or illegal manifestations of behaviour may result in criminal or civil proceedings against its perpetrators. It may lead to disciplinary hearings if it is in the workplace or school, where such behaviour is against the prescribed rules of conduct. Young people might use cellphones, emails, blogs or online forums, social networking websites or instant messaging services to attack another person who is using the same services.
Internet-based chatrooms are one of the commonly used methods of interaction at personal level by young people all over the globe. Hostile interpersonal communication exists among young people in such forums. It is sometimes exploitative in nature and is unacceptable or wrong, and may be hostile, inflammatory, or confrontational. Cyber-harrassment is one of the problems of internet-based communication systems. It is mostly committed through emails, instant messenger services, computers, and cellphones. Many young people have admitted to having harassed others or having been harassed online. This includes cyberbullying, cyberattack, cyber-exploitation, the dissemination of insulting messages using cyberspace and cyberstalking. It involves aggressive behaviour, swearing at someone online, name-calling, inflammatory remarks, insulting other people and telling people embarrassing and false stories about other people. It may manifest itself in various formats. It may sometimes move from online to physical harassment. Some young people can create dedicated fake websites, where they insult or humiliate another person (Beran & Li 2005:1-18).
THE RISE OF AI AND THE NEW THREAT
The epidemic of online academic cheating may grow rapidly with the advent of the AI where the academic integrity of academic qualifications will be compromised. Ghostwritten essays, and plagiarized lines, AI-generated answers, that cleverly disguise, lack of original thought, and the absence of strife. It may entice students to fall for online deceit.
Universities must create policies on how to manage unethical behaviour in its entirety and the policies must be implemented without fear or favour. The university policies must encourage students to uphold values and ethos of academic honesty and ensure the educational value of qualification is not or must never be compromised. Students must be taught to use AI wisely to enhance learning and teaching, not to use AI for academic dishonesty.
There are existing ICT techniques that can be used to detect and prevent online cheating like Turnitin that can check levels of similarities of the new academic work and the existing academic works online. Educational and awareness campaigns (AI literacy training) must be introduced vigorously to encourage the ethos of academic writing at universities. Student disciplinary policies must be designed and enforced vigorously without fear or favour. Academics need to design assessment and evaluation methods that will discourage academic dishonesty at universities.
It is not students who may use AI to commit unethical behaviour or abuse AI or “Google” for nefarious reasons. The Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge order Surendra Sing and Associates to pay the costs out their own pocket because it is alleged, they have used non-existent legal citations on their argument’s papers submitted in court. Only two citations exist out of the nine utilised legal citations and the lawyers could not explain where they got other citations. The Judge indicated that she would refer the lawyers to the Legal Practice Council for further sanctioning in January 2025.
There is a need to encourage students and ordinary people that the ethical use of ICT and AI is encouraged. What is discouraged is the misuse and unethical use of the ICT and AI evolutions that compromise the integrity what AI is used for. This may during academic activities at universities or legal practitioners doing their legal citations in quote.
Just imagine a doctor diagnose a patient wrongly using AI because the content is not hundred percent proof to be perfect and correct.
