Approaching AI through a Social Justice Lens: Considerations for Graduate Program Applications

This research study was prompted by one of the findings from a multi-focus group study we conducted with HBCU undergraduates who are interested in attending graduate school. Apprehensions of focus group participants included concerns about how to craft competitive graduate program applications. In light of the recent, rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools, our research team was inspired to investigate the state of research on these tools relevant to college applications. Although this is an emerging research topic [1], existing research on AI in academic settings can offer early guidance on appropriate roles for this technology in graduate applications. Drawing from patterns in the literature, this paper distills implications for graduate programs, especially for minoritized applicants and admissions committees attuned to concerns of inclusion. Such implications are timely indeed, as universities are already grappling with students using AI to write admission essays [2, 3].