At the 2024 World Conference on Research Integrity in Athens, global ethics expert Professor Sarah Elaine Eaton called for dismantling the artificial divisions between academic and research ethics. She urged academia to work collectively and urgently to integrate academic integrity with the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education and research.

Eaton, an associate professor at the University of Calgary in Canada, commended the European Union’s world-leading guidelines on AI and research. However, she suggested extending the scope beyond researchers, organizations, and funders to include others involved in knowledge production, such as publishers, industry, graduate students, and academic supervisors.

Highlighting the parallels between academic and research integrity principles, Eaton argued that the notion of integrity needs to be more inclusive and holistic across sectors. “It’s time to start considering the broader implications of the terms that we use,” she stated.

While applauding the European guidelines’ focus on individual researchers, organizations, and funding bodies, Eaton noted the lack of guidance for supervisors, graduate students, research trainees, and others in the broader research ecosystem. “In no way should industry, publishers, supervisors, students, conferences, and others be absolved of responsibility regarding AI and research integrity,” she emphasized.

Eaton advised decoupling policy from practice, advocating for flexible procedures and practices that can operationalize policies without rendering them inflexible. She also acknowledged the challenges of detecting plagiarism and distinguishing between human and AI-generated text in the age of “post-plagiarism.”

As AI continues to evolve, Eaton stressed the importance of being proactive and addressing ethical concerns surrounding AI’s impact on academic integrity and knowledge production. “We don’t have all the answers yet,” she cautioned, “but it’s crucial to stay ahead of the technological curve while upholding the fundamental values of integrity, responsibility, and trust.”