Artificial Intelligence in Academic Research: Assessing Ethical Use and Benchmarking Practices Across Local and Global Institutions

Aim: This study aims to assess the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic research by analyzing and benchmarking institutional AI policies and practices across selected Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and leading global universities. Methodology:The research employed a qualitative, document-based comparative analysis.Institutional policy documents-such as academic integrity statements, artificial intelligence (AI) use advisories, research ethics codes, and university guidelines-were collected from three local and three global universities.These were analyzed using an ethics matrix guided by frameworks from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), focusing on five key ethical themes: authorship, transparency, academic integrity, acceptable AI use, and ethical safeguards.Results: Findings revealed that while all institutions recognize the growing role of AI in research, significant divergence exists in the maturity and enforcement of ethical guidelines.Global universities demonstrated more comprehensive, enforceable, and integrated policy frameworks, including AI-specific authorship disclosure, acceptable-use classifications, and training programs.In contrast, Philippine HEIs have begun to develop policies but often lack consistency, operational guidelines, and training infrastructure.The gap is further widened by contextual challenges such as resource disparities and digital literacy limitations. Conclusion:To promote responsible AI integration, Philippine HEIs must develop coherent, enforceable policies that align with global ethical standards while addressing local academic and cultural contexts.Institutional efforts should also include faculty and student training, AI ethics education, and inter-university collaboration to build a robust and inclusive governance framework.