STUDENT COMPETENCIES FOR ETHICAL AND CRITICAL USE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into educational ecosystems has introduced both opportunities and challenges. While GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude have transformed instruction, assessment, and research, they also raise critical ethical concerns, particularly among student users. These include misinformation, academic dishonesty, algorithmic bias, and diminishing student agency. Addressing these challenges requires identifying students' essential competencies to engage with AI critically and responsibly. This study investigates the skills and ethical literacies Filipino higher education students consider most important when interacting with GenAI technologies. Using a descriptive quantitative approach, 184 university students who had completed ethics- and AI-oriented workshops ranked key competencies in two domains: (1) critically assessing AI-generated content and (2) ethically using GenAI in academic contexts. The results show that students prioritize competencies related to ethical understanding, logical thinking, questioning, data verification, and accountability. These findings emphasize that students seek technical knowledge and philosophical and critical frameworks to guide their engagement with AI tools. The study contributes empirical evidence to the growing field of AI ethics in education, offering regional insight from the Philippines and highlighting gaps in curriculum design, teacher training, and institutional policy. The results support the integration of critical and ethical AI literacy into higher education curricula and suggest a foundational competency framework for responsible GenAI use. Recommendations are provided for curriculum developers, educators, and policymakers who seek to promote academic integrity and epistemic responsibility in the era of AI.