The Quest for Ethical AI in Higher Education

Abstract

The upcoming AI Act from the European Union (European Parliament, 2023) and the ethical issues that have been occurring with Artificial Intelligence (AI) constitute an ur- gent need for good governance. Especially within the education sector, where AI can cause harm to the values of vulnerable people. This thesis will answer the research question how are organisations in tertiary education sections developing good governance for AI? Firstly, it is identified how AI is being used in educational software. Then it is analysed how the educational software contains and harms values and what ethical issues might occur. To identify what governance practices are already available for higher education institutions to avoid ethical issues, three guidelines are analysed on their applicability and ability to help institutions create governance for AI in educational software: the AI and Education Guidance for Policymakers (Miao et al., 2021), the Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Data in Teaching and Learning for Educators (European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture 2022), and the Ethical framework for AI in Education (The Institute for Ethical AI in Education, 2020). However, as this research shows, these guidelines do not offer enough guidance to create good governance for AI in educational software. Therefore, this thesis identifies possible good governance practices to bridge the gap between policy and practice-driven applications.