Teachers' Digital Literacy and Awareness of Ethical Guidelines in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

Abstract Teachers' digital literacy and ethical awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) use are increasingly important as schools adopt digital and AI-supported tools for instruction, assessment, communication, and professional work. This study aimed to determine the level of secondary teachers' digital literacy and awareness of ethical guidelines in AI use in select public secondary schools in the Division of Ozamiz City. A quantitative descriptive-comparative design was employed with 169 teacher-respondents from Ozamiz City National High School, Ozamiz City School of Arts and Trades, and Labo National High School. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire measuring teachers' demographic profile, digital literacy, and awareness of AI ethical guidelines in terms of data privacy, transparency, accountability, risk awareness, and fairness. Descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance were used. Results showed that teachers' digital literacy was very high (M = 4.39, SD = 0.689), with the effective use of computers, laptops, or mobile devices for teaching obtaining the highest mean (M = 4.63) and proper citation of digital sources obtaining the lowest mean (M = 4.18). Teachers' awareness of ethical guidelines in AI use was also very high (M = 4.56, SD = 0.510), with risk awareness highest (M = 4.63) and transparency lowest (M = 4.39). No significant differences were found in digital literacy or AI ethical awareness when teachers were grouped by educational attainment, trainings attended, or length of service. The findings indicate that teachers generally possess strong digital and ethical AI readiness, but targeted professional development is needed in digital citation and transparent disclosure of AI-generated content.