The (lack of) ethics at generative AI in Business Management education and research

A (falta da) ética na inteligência artificial generativa no ensino e pesquisa em Administração

Purpose:  This study aims to discuss the impacts of using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in education and research in the business and management field, using a virtue ethics lens to reflect on technology’s effects on people.

Originality/value:  Our analysis considers the potential risks and opportunities of using GenAI, particularly ChatGPT. We categorized the effects of generative AI on education and research into groups by mapping agent-centered or action-centered articles and sorting them by the ethical perspective they come from (deontology, utilitarianism, or virtue ethics), keeping in mind that AI ethics addresses mainly utilitarian rules and principles. Our analysis emphasizes the human element to avoid oversimplifying the effects on people’s formation.

Design/methodology/approach:  We conducted a semi-systematic review of recent literature on GenAI in management education and research. We used the PRISMA method to collect and select articles from three academic databases: Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science, in addition to Google Scholar. From 45 articles, we mapped three main issues: analysis level, ethical perspective, and GenAI impacts.

Findings:  We point out that using GenIA for student learning and researcher training in virtues or character is incipient, while ethical issues are mentioned implicitly or superficially. GenAI can enhance or reduce human development and research, depending on its appropriate use in learning and research processes. A solid grounding in virtue ethics is essential to deeply understanding the impact of human-AI relationships.

Keywords:
ChatGPT; generative AI; education and research; virtue ethics; human-centered AI