Dr. Aviva Legatt,, Forbes; An AI Ethics Roadmap Beyond Academic Integrity For Higher Education
"Higher education institutions are rapidly embracing artificial intelligence, but often without a comprehensive strategic framework. According to the 2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study, 74% of institutions prioritized AI use for academic integrity alongside other core challenges like coursework (65%) and assessment (54%). At the same time, 68% of respondents say students use AI “somewhat more” or “a lot more” than faculty.
These data underscore a potential misalignment: Institutions recognize integrity as a top concern, but students are racing ahead with AI and faculty lack commensurate fluency. As a result, AI ethics debates are unfolding in classrooms with underprepared educators. “Faculty were expected to change their assignments overnight when generative AI hit,” said Jenny Maxwell, Head of Education at Grammarly. “We’re trying to meet institutions where they are—offering tools and guidance that support both academic integrity and student learning without adding more burden to educators.”
The necessity of integrating ethical considerations alongside AI tools in education is paramount. Employers have made it clear that ethical reasoning and responsible technology use are critical skills in today’s workforce. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s 2025 Corporate Recruiters Survey, these skills are increasingly vital for graduates, underscoring ethics as a competitive advantage rather than merely a supplemental skill. “Just because you think you’re an ethical person doesn’t mean you won’t inadvertently do harm if you’re working in machine learning without being trained and constantly aware of the risks,” said Liz Moran, Director of Academic Programs at SAS. “That’s why we’re launching an AI Foundations credential with a dedicated course on Responsible Innovation and Trustworthy AI. Students need the ethical reasoning to use those skills responsibly.”
