Fellow Educators,

Ethics and AI………I wanted to get into how this topic could flow and work for you reading but as I did some more research I soon realized that it is much large than expected.

Ethics is defined as … as per websters dictionary

ethic - noun

eth·​ic ˈe-thik 

 Synonyms of ethic

: a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values

the present-day materialistic ethic

an old-fashioned work ethic

—often used in plural but singular or plural in construction

an elaborate ethics

Christian ethics

ethics ˈe-thiks  plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group

professional ethics

: a consciousness of moral importance

forge a conservation ethic

ethics plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation

Now I thought I knew what ethics was but refreshing on the actual definition of the word, made me realize that my understanding of ethics had a bias and framework attached to it - we all have bias to some degree. So how does this apply to the title of the newsletter?

My initial brainstorming on this topic made me thing Yes and….. so I jotted down some initial thoughts and then stopped..

• AI’s impact on student privacy and data security

• Ethical concerns in AI-driven assessments and grading

• Bias in AI educational tools and fairness in learning

• The role of AI in personalized learning and potential ethical dilemmas

• How AI affects academic integrity (e.g., plagiarism detection, AI-generated content)

• Ethical implications of AI replacing human educators

This is a HUGE topic! 

For brevity’s sake I decided to focus on Ethics as it relates to Faculty using AI and Students - two different aspects of AI use because Intent and Impact for those parties is different.

So, let’s cut to the chase. AI in education is here, and whether we like it or not, students and faculty are using it. The real question is: Are we thinking critically about how it’s being used? Because while AI can be a powerful tool, it also raises serious ethical concerns.

1. Faculty Use of AI: Efficiency vs. Dehumanization

Many educators (probably including you) are experimenting with AI for grading, content creation, and admin tasks. No judgment—AI can save time but here is some food for thought….

• Bias in AI Grading - AI scoring tools have been found to give lower grades to certain demographics, particularly non-native English speakers and students from underrepresented groups. That’s a problem. Are we okay with outsourcing grading to a system that might be reinforcing bias?

  • also, what aspect of grading is being missed or enforced? as the educator your experience and judgement goes into grading, but an AI does not have those kinds of insights

• Dehumanization of Education - Students don’t just need answers; they need mentorship, feedback, and connection. When AI becomes the go-to for responding to student emails, generating lesson plans, or even writing feedback, we risk removing the very thing that makes education meaningful—the human touch.

  • The concept of discernment and intentionality are really important here

• Accountability and Transparency - If AI makes a grading error or provides misleading information, who takes responsibility? Students already struggle with opaque decision-making in academia—throwing AI into the mix without oversight only makes it worse.

  • You are ultimately responsbile for anything i your classrooms