Data Privacy, Ethics and Education in the Era of AI – A University Student Perspective

In today’s world nothing has been left untouched in relation to artificial intelligence (Al). Al is used for everything from mowing lawns to reporting news. One field in which its presence is highly complex and multifaceted is education. Discussions regarding both the role of Al and the role of learning in education have taken center stage. The field of tertiary education has proven particularly problematic in terms of Al adoption. Ethical issues have arisen across the domain including whether or not generative Al should be used in education and how, the ethicality of learning analytics, and privacy concerns. With the aim of gaining insight into the sentiment of tertiary level students towards privacy in the era of widespread Al, the authors conducted an interview study with nine university student participants. The interviews concentrated on: privacy in studies and student life; data privacy advocacy; level of protection provided by tertiary institutions (universities); understandings of the General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR); and bodily sensations linked to privacy. The results reveal differences of opinion regarding concern for privacy, yet there was overall consensus that GDPR aided in protection against privacy violation. Findings indicate a tendency towards resignated acceptance and genuine concern for the ethics of university technology-related data practices.