SIDLIT 2024

The recent advance and proliferation of generative AI through natural language processing and LLMs has simultaneously presented the academy with both an incredible opportunity for innovation and collaboration as well as significant concern for academic originality along with authenticity, trust, and integrity. It is a culture-shaping moment we find ourselves in, with important ethical issues looming large that remain unanswered: What are the acceptable uses of AI, and when does its use cross the line? To what extent is the use of generative AI appropriate in course or assignment preparation? Should the use of generative AI always be disclosed? (why or why not?) And is it even realistic or feasible to expect the use of generative AI to be properly cited and acknowledged...not just in student submissions, but in the creative works of the academy's practitioners and leaders? What role and potential do leaders in the academy have in managing the future impact of AI and shaping the character of students and faculty who use it?

Drawing on his extensive background in technology for ministry in the context of higher education, as well as his love for virtue ethics (with an appreciation for other approaches), the presenter will navigate these complex intersections, explaining in laymen's terms how AI "thinks" (and why this matters), discussing the limitations of AI along with the immediate and far-reaching ethical implications, and exploring the boundaries of acceptable use and disclosure of the contributory role of AI. With this choppy sea thus navigated, the author will present a paradigm for how education leaders can effectively transform culture through character, scholarship, and leadership in the midst of the challenges raised by the rapid proliferation of generative AI.