Autors: Pavlova, Y. P., Slavov, V. D.
Title: Exploring the Ethical Use of AI Technologies/Applications in Academic Environments
Keywords: academic integrity, AI Act, AI literacy, AIinED, Erasmus+ EmpowerAI project, ethics of AI in education, focus groups, generative AI, higher education policy, large language models

Abstract: The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly large language models (LLMs), into higher education presents both opportunities for pedagogical innovation and challenges to academic integrity. While recent initiatives, such as the European Union's AI Act and UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, have provided frameworks for ethical AI adoption, their practical implementation at the institutional level remains uneven. This study investigates how university faculty perceive the ethical implications of AI use in academic environments. Conducted as part of the EmpowerAI Erasmus+ project, a structured focus group involving 21 lecturers from the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria explored faculty staff attitudes toward AI's role in areas such as critical thinking, authorship, fairness, access, and privacy. Through thematic analysis, the study identifies emerging tensions between innovation and responsibility, and between equitable access and academic rigor. The findings underscore the need for context-sensitive institutional policies and educator training on AI ethics. The paper aims to contribute empirical evidence to the growing body of literature on responsible AI integration in higher education and informs the co-creation of actionable ethical guidelines that reflect both regulatory expectations and academic values.

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Issue

60th International Scientific Conference on Information, Communication and Energy Systems and Technologies, ICEST 2025 - Proceedings, 2025, Albania, https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEST66328.2025.11098253

Вид: публикация в международен форум, публикация в реферирано издание, индексирана в Scopus