Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Teacher Integrity in the Deployment of Smart Technologies in the Digital Era in Cross River State, Nigeria
Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) gains more traction in education in the digital era, questions arise about the number of empirical studies available that have useful outcomes on the protocols for deploying the technology in the sector. This univariate descriptive survey was consequently conducted to examine whether the ethics of AI predict teacher integrity in the application of smart technologies in public primary schools in the digital age in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses were formulated for the research. 1,600 teachers were recruited from 16 public primary schools across four education zones of the state to participate. Ethics of AI and Teacher Integrity in the Application of Smart Technologies Questionnaire (EAITIASTQ) was adopted to generate data. Based upon the Value Sensitive Design (VSD), simple linear regression was used to analyze data, aided by SPSS. Findings suggest that user transparency significantly predicts teacher integrity in the application of AI in public primary schools; user accountability significantly predicts teacher integrity in the utilization of AI in public primary schools. It is recommended that a sound ethical protocol on the application of AI in school be codified in documents and made available for all primary school teachers; experienced and skilful personnel in computer and AI operations have to conduct regular supervision of teachers in relation to the use of AI in elementary schools
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