Abstract
This chapter examines in detail the socioscientific (SS) dimensions of the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. As a result, it was emphasized that the use of AI in higher education should be discussed as a topic with its features such as ethical and moral issues, complexity, and uncertainty issues. It is recommended that university administrations take urgent measures against the negativities that may occur in the near future both in higher education and in society, and to open the issue to discussion at the international level from the perspective of SS. In particular, determining the ethical and legal framework and setting standards as soon as possible is very important in order to minimize the negative effects of rapidly developing AI and to benefit from the advantages of its positive aspects without fear. Both students and academics should be informed about the conscious use of AI and the precautions to be taken against its negative effects. Thus, university administrations organizing trainings can solve the problems in the short term.
TopIntroduction
Although the interaction between society and science has been ongoing since ancient times, its significance has increased notably since the 20th century. Science helps meet the needs of society, while society contributes to the advancement of science, thus continuously enhancing each other. AI and its applications are products of this interaction over time. With the development of AI, societies have gained the opportunity to live in better conditions and more comfortably. For individuals whose living comfort increases gradually every day, AI has become indispensable (Tai, 2020). AI applications have become integrated into many different areas of our lives, including healthcare, defense industry, education, transportation, business, and communication (Baum, 2017; Goralski & Tan, 2020; Lee, 2020; Taeihagh, 2021, Tai, 2020). For example, in the healthcare sector, AI is widely applied from medical diagnostics to robotic surgeries, providing significant support to healthcare services (Jiang, et al., 2017; Rong, Mendez et al,, 2020). Education is also one of the areas affected by AI, and it has rapidly entered learning and teaching environments. Using AI in education saves time for teachers, students, and administrators, creating better learning environments by supporting teaching and learning settings (Arslan, 2020; Chen et al., 2020; Pokrivcakova, 2019; Qadir, 2023; Williamson, 2024). Smart homes, voice assistants, navigations, translation services, and other applications are examples of other AI applications commonly used in our daily lives.
The rapid rise of AI in almost every field has led to its increasing economic, social, and political significance, prompting stakeholders to take precautions (Cath et al., 2018). This is because while AI brings innovations and conveniences to our lives, it also possesses continuously increasing power, which is considered a risk for the future of societies. Carter (2020) has stated that the widespread adoption of AI benefits our daily lives and assists us, but when poorly managed and out of control, it also poses risks of harm. For example, Cheatham et.al (2019) listed privacy violations, discrimination and manipulation of political systems among the possible harms that AI can cause. Tredinnick & Laybats (2023) have pointed out the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence in terms of regulation, law, and professional practices, listing them as misinformation and fake content, privacy, data security and intellectual property, reinforcement of bias, malicious uses, and ethical issues. These potential risks create distrust in the use of artificial intelligence in societies. Therefore, it is important to encourage artificial intelligence developers to create applications that are both beneficial to society and make users feel safe. However, Baum (2017) in his study also expressed that guiding technology producers towards both safe and beneficial designs is not necessarily easy due to technical and social reasons. Despite the challenges, it has become a necessity to effectively manage the increasingly pervasive AI technologies in our lives to keep them under control. Thus, by taking measures, the lingering question marks regarding the place and future of artificial intelligence in society can be minimized as much as possible.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Professional Development: It encompasses all kinds of professional knowledge and skills acquired as a result of education, usually obtained by individuals studying at university.
Socio-scientific issues: These are scientific issues that create dilemmas, controversies, and complexities in society. Topics such as nuclear power plants, genetically modified foods, birth control, etc., are controversial issues in society in terms of health, ethics, religion, etc.
Uncertainty: It involves unspecified issues in the sub-dimensions of a topic. To find a solution to such a problem or make a decision, it is necessary to first identify what these uncertainties are.
Ethical Issues: These are problems created by situations and actions that do not comply with the general moral values and legal responsibilities in a particular topic.
Complexity: It refers to a situation where a topic involves multiple issues simultaneously, making finding a solution or making a decision extremely challenging.
University Community: A community consisting of students and academics, whose priority is to engage in scientific activities, sharing an environment called university.
Reasoning Skills: It is a cognitive skill that includes the ability to solve complex problems, make correct decisions, and engage in critical thinking. Reasoning skills involve making accurate predictions and providing quick solutions to daily encountered problems.