Artificial intelligence technologies consume substantial energy and large quantities of water, posing significant environmental costs. Additionally, there are many current discussions about its misuse academically and more broadly. As part of a larger book project on integrating AI into teaching and learning, this chapter specifically addresses concerns related to [in]equitable access, and student perceptions about its use in educational environments. The question is, how do students and instructors navigate their concerns related to the ethical use of AI? This chapter explicitly encourages further academic discussions that consider social [mis]representation, and the experiences of individuals. Drawing on a qualitative survey from ten undergraduate classes at a mid-sized institution in the US South (fall 2024 through spring 2025), along with the informal conversations that this survey prompted, the chapter explores how students define their concerns with ideas of ownership of knowledge, representation, and environmental impact. The specific ethical concerns emerged in conversations while using AI in classroom assignments. Most students were ambivalent to any of the ethical concerns and fully engaged in the lessons, but students who shared concerns had a difficult time engaging in those activities. This chapter builds on earlier chapters that considered digital literacy and information literacy skill-building while integrating AI in classrooms and in assignment design—and emphasizes social literacy and the development of assignments within ethical frameworks that students care about. Ethical discussions are critical in anthropology, and this chapter draws on that scholarship.

Authors:
Kathryn M. Koziol, University of Arkansas, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Kathryn M. Koziol is a Teaching Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Currently, she is interested in student impressions of AI use in the classroom.

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