On ethical AI principles

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a set of digital tools that can perform functions traditionally limited to human capability, for example, reviewing, summarizing, translating, and composing. In the last few years, there has been widespread discussion and experimentation for its application in education. Consequently, a contentious ethical debate has arisen around its appropriateness for educational functions and how such functionality may be ethically applied. Some argue that the ethical use of artificial intelligence in education can be defined through the use of a set of commonly held principles, such as sustainability, accountability, and fairness. This article challenges that presumption. A list of nine such principles is offered. Each principle is considered in detail and analysed to identify underlying assumptions, points of conflict, and other ethical considerations. It is argued that much of what is offered as a set of ethical considerations reflects, in fact, a political argument and perspective. There is thus no set of ethical principles that can be regarded as a consensus opinion on the ethics of the use of artificial intelligence in education.