Exploring ethical implications and ethical consideration of AI in eLearning in UAE higher education using UTAUT and social constructivism: An exploratory study of UAE postgraduates

This empirical exploratory study investigates the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and eLearning, a pressing concern in modern digital learning, especially highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study’s significance lies in its focus on understanding how AI integration affects ethical considerations in educational settings, a critical aspect given the rapid digital transformation in learning. The research involved surveying sixteen postgraduate students in the United Arab Emirates, using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as the analytical framework. The UTAUT model, while primarily used for technology acceptance, is employed here in an exploratory capacity to identify potential ethical dimensions related to AI adoption, including data privacy, bias and transparency. Key findings reveal that 94% of participants were optimistic about AI’s role in enhancing education, with 50% strongly believing that AI can significantly boost academic performance. However, significant ethical concerns also emerged, with 56% of participants expressing moderate to high levels of concern regarding data privacy and 88% worried about the potential for AI to introduce biases in educational outcomes. These findings underscore the necessity for ethical oversight, robust data governance, and the creation of inclusive, transparent educational AI systems. This exploratory study contributes to the discourse on ethical AI by offering preliminary insights into user perceptions and laying the groundwork for more extensive future research. On the other hand, these findings should be considered preliminary, due to the small sample size and limited geographic scope. Essential for future research is a larger, diverse sample that uses qualitative approaches to investigate these insights and examine emerging ethical considerations related to advancing AI technologies in educational contexts.Keywords: artificial intelligence in education; ethical implications of AI; AI and educational ethics; educational data privacy; UTAUT model in education; technology acceptance in eLearning; AI transparency in educationPart of the Special Issue Generative AI and education <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.0390b853>