Artificial intelligence and academic integrity: The role of academic librarians

The increasing dependence on Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools among advanced learners has sparked concerns about academic dishonesty, prompting stakeholders to develop ways to maintain academic integrity. The study explored the role of academic librarians in maintaining academic integrity with the prevalence of AI writing tools among students. The study was conducted through qualitative methods with a phenomenological design. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data from twelve academic librarians in six universities in Ghana. The data was analysed thematically with word clouds. The findings of the study revealed that the roles of academic librarians are more tailored towards maintaining research integrity, an aspect of academic integrity. Also, the study observed that academic librarians play relevant roles in empowering students on the ethical use of information in the current dispensation of AI application tools in learning. Based on the study's findings, it is recommended a skill upgrade of library staff in evolving AI technology in response to issues of academic misconduct among students. Furthermore, the study suggests that academic institutions should revise academic integrity policies to address the increasing use of AI writing tools among students.