By Yovanna Leija, Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, Mexico
Licensed under the Unsplash+ License
There is something about the current education system that strikes me as deeply contradictory: there has never been so much talk of academic ethics, and yet, at the same time, it has never been so difficult to define what it really means to learn ethically. The emergence of artificial intelligence tools, particularly generative ones, has brought to the fore a problem that likely existed before: all too often, within education, delivering is valued more highly than learning.
At various levels of education, there is a constant emphasis on values such as honesty, hard work and academic responsibility. However, the day-to-day reality for many students seems to operate according to a different logic. There are excessive workloads, repetitive tasks, pressure to achieve good grades and little time to truly reflect on what is being learnt. In this context, it is inevitable to ask: is the education system really fostering learning or is it simply promoting compliance?
Artificial intelligence has intensified this debate. Nowadays, a student can ask a digital tool to write essays, answer questions or even complete entire assignments in a matter of seconds. Faced with this, many educational institutions react solely through bans or fear of plagiarism. However, what surprises me is that there is rarely any questioning of why so many students feel the need to resort to these tools in order to meet academic demands.
This does not mean that the irresponsible use of artificial intelligence is not a problem. Clearly, there are significant risks associated with technological dependence, misinformation or the simulation of learning. But reducing the entire discussion solely to ‘copying’ or ‘cheating’ overlooks deeper issues. Perhaps the real problem is not just the technology, but an educational model where producing evidence is often prioritised over building meaningful knowledge.
Something else that strikes me is the way in which ethics seems to be applied unevenly. Students are required to demonstrate originality, critical thinking and academic honesty, whilst the education system itself frequently reproduces inhumane dynamics: excessive workloads, assessments centred on rote learning and administrative processes that leave little room for creativity or reflection. In a sense, artificial intelligence is merely making more visible contradictions that have long been part of education.
Despite this, I believe that artificial intelligence can also represent an opportunity. Its existence forces us to rethink fundamental questions about education: what does it mean to learn? How do we assess knowledge? What skills should really matter today? Perhaps the greatest challenge is not to prevent students from using artificial intelligence, but to build educational spaces where thinking, questioning and creating are valued more highly than simply completing tasks.
Rather than offering definitive answers, this reflection stems from a sense of wonder at an education system that attempts to teach ethics in a context where the very ways of learning are constantly changing.
In that sense, artificial intelligence is not only transforming the way we study, but also the way we understand ethics within education. Perhaps the real challenge for schools and universities is not merely to control the use of these tools, but to reflect on what kind of learning they wish to build for the future.
