Saudi EFL Students and ChatGPT: An Exploration of Ethical Awareness in AI Use

Abstract

The landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving one with new inventions making ever deeper inroads into realms that were exclusively human domains so far. However, this close proximity of technology and learners has given rise to concerns about its ethical and judicial use and guaranteeing that such use is not detrimental to learning objectives. This study, accordingly, delves into the ethical awareness of Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students towards using ChatGPT. Data was collected from a sample of 100 EFL male and female students at Majmaah University Saudi Arabia based on a questionnaire with six themes: intellectual property, cultural sensitivity, ethical misgivings, developer responsibility, learning enhancement, and data privacy. Results showed that the participating students had a high level of ethical awareness for using ChatGPT. Further, interestingly, female students demonstrated a statistically higher ethical awareness compared to their male counterparts. This gender difference may reflect variations in ethical sensitivities or educational experiences and warrants further investigation. This research offers valuable insights into the current state of ethical awareness among a specific group of users and sets the stage for further studies on the broader implications of AI in education.