Ethics and artificial intelligence in university degree completion processes: a systematic review of risks and institutional strategies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/7yyexg97Keywords:
artificial intelligence, academic ethics, university degree completion, academic integrity, higher educationAbstract
Introduction: Artificial intelligence use in university degree completion processes poses challenges for authorship, integrity, and learning assessment. This review aimed to synthesize relevant ethical risks and institutional strategies, distinguishing direct evidence from findings transferable from other university contexts. Methodology: A systematic review with thematic synthesis was conducted and reported following PRISMA 2020. Searches in Scopus, SciELO, and Redalyc, performed on 15–17 September 2026, covered publications from 2023 onward. Of 65 retrieved records, 35 publications were included. Results: Findings were organized around authorship and transparency, reliability, privacy, equity, supervision, and governance. Bibliographic errors, attribution difficulties, and limitations of automated detectors were identified. Strategies included disclosing assistance, verifying sources, protecting data, and supporting the research process. Heterogeneous designs and the indirect relevance of part of the evidence limit transferability to degree completion processes. Conclusions: The findings support components of a future institutional protocol, whose implementation requires disciplinary adaptation and evaluation of its effects on learning, integrity, and equity.
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