Exploring the Ethical Awareness of Generative AI among Research Scholars at the University of Delhi

Abstract

This study explores the level of ethical awareness about Generative AI usage in research among research scholars at University of Delhi. Study also highlights the research scholar’s perspective about the pros and cons of Generative AI usage in research, as well as their attitude towards responsible research with AI application. The rapid growth of Artificial intelligence (AI) has given rise to Generative AI, which can generate new content, including text, images, audio and videos. While Generative AI holds immense potential for various applications, such as research and creativity, it also raises serious ethical concerns like plagiarism in research publications, scope for misinformation and dissemination of fake news. Being at the forefront, research scholars play a crucial role in shaping the ethical debate surrounding the use of AI technology in research. The study conducted through a survey method, questionnaire was sent to select Ph.D research scholars from various departments at the University of Delhi. The study evaluated the Generative AI usage in research across different research phases like text generation for literature review, data synthesis etc. The findings highlight the need for institutions to enhance their research support mechanism for the responsible and transparent research environment in academia with AI. Insights from this study can be useful for the people working on AI ethics and usage in research.