Dr. Thomas Lancaster's keynote at ACARI 2023 emphasizes the necessity of academic integrity in the age of generative AI, calling for a focus on honesty and ethical practices in research while acknowledging the challenges faced by students. Themes from student reflections highlight the importance of ethical behavior, the consequences of academic dishonesty, and the societal implications of research integrity. The discussion concludes with actionable recommendations for educational institutions to support students in maintaining integrity amidst evolving technological landscapes.

1. Reimagining Academic Integrity
in a Generative AI World
Dr Thomas Lancaster
Imperial College London, UK
Keynote Presentation for 1st Asia-Middle East-Africa Conference on
Academic and Research Integrity (ACARI) 2023
#ACARI2023

2. 2023 Keynotes
Dr Thomas Lancaster
Computer Scientist
Academic Integrity Practitioner
X (formerly Twitter): @DrLancaster

3. What does
academic integrity
mean in the real
world?

4. “Academic integrity in
computer science
means not just
avoiding plagiarism
or cheating, but
understanding the
ethical implications of
our code. It's about
creating technology
that respects privacy,
fairness, and the
betterment of society.”
Dr. Alex Kimura
Computer Science Professor

5. “Maintaining academic
integrity is tough when
you're juggling work
and studies. It's
tempting to take
shortcuts, but I know
that doing things
the right way is
important for my
own growth and
learning.”
Maria González
Business Administration Student

6. "Look, in an ideal world,
we'd all do our own
work. But realistically,
the system's so
competitive. Sometimes,
you've gotta bend the
rules to keep up. It's
not like everyone's
playing fair anyway."
Zack Turner
Law Student

7. "Academic integrity? I
know it's important, but
I have to make a living.
Students need these
papers, and I need the
work. It's not ideal, but
it's a reality."
Samuel Njoroge
Writer for Academic Assistance Agency

8. "Bark for honesty,
howl for integrity!
Let's keep our studies
fair and our tails
wagging with pride in
our work!"
Honor Hound
Academic Integrity Mascot

9. https://academicintegrity.uk/persona-gpt

10. What do students
really think about
academic integrity?
(no cheating this time)

11. Academic Integrity in STEMM
▪ 12 undergraduate students in
Spring term 2023
▪ First exercise, write a one-page
reflective summary addressing
“What does academic integrity
mean for you and your discipline
and why is it important?”

12. Themes
Identified in
Student
Submissions
A theme is identified as present if
this covers 5% or more of the
document

13. Theme Coverage Thematic Observations
Academic Integrity and Research 58.33%
This theme emphasizes the importance of honesty and ethical practices in research. It highlights issues such as data
fabrication, cherry-picking, and the negative impact of dishonesty on academia and technology development. It underscores
the need for collective efforts to uphold academic integrity for the benefit of society.
Ethical Aspects of Academic Practice 33.33%
This theme focuses on preventing academic dishonesty to promote integrity, highlighting the role of faith, honesty,
responsibility, and respect. It discusses the importance of early education on academic integrity, including plagiarism
awareness and the reinforcement of these concepts throughout one's academic journey.
Challenges and Experiences in Academia 16.67%
This theme explores the parallels between legal concepts and academic integrity, emphasizing the importance of
understanding and adhering to rules against plagiarism and cheating. It reflects on personal experiences in academia and
other areas, like the police force, to understand the consequences of violating academic integrity.
Learning and Student Perspectives 16.67%
This theme centres on students' experiences with academic integrity in their own departments. It discusses how professors
model integrity by citing original research and the role of peer review in preventing falsified data and biased interpretations,
thus enhancing the credibility of academic work.
Academic Environment and Ideas 8.33%
This theme addresses the importance of transparent research methodologies and reproducibility, for example disease-related
studies. It highlights recent instances of data falsification and the role of technology in detecting such dishonesty, emphasizing
the impact of unreliable data on patient treatment.
Problem-Solving and Academic Issues 8.33%
This theme delves into the implications of academic dishonesty in primary research, including in the medical field. It discusses
the consequences of ineffective treatments based on flawed research, the importance of clear data reporting, and the
scepticism it breeds among researchers.
Time Management and Early Career 8.33%
This theme focuses on the significance of time management for students. It highlights the challenges of balancing various
projects and the necessity of effective time management for productive research, avoiding burnout, and maintaining a healthy
work-life balance.
Society and Academic Importance 8.33%
This theme explores the broader societal impact of academic work. It emphasizes how research influences policy, public
opinion, and daily life, advocating for responsible and ethical research practices that consider societal implications and
contribute to shaping the future.
Skills and Critical Thinking 8.33%
This theme underscores the importance of developing critical thinking skills in academia. It highlights how these skills enable
questioning assumptions, effective information analysis, and lead to better decision-making, underscoring their value in
academic, professional, and personal life.
Training and Methodologies 8.33%
This theme emphasizes the importance of methodological training in academia. It discusses how understanding different
research methods enhances study robustness, the importance of staying updated with advancements, and how diverse
methodologies enrich research processes and outcomes.

14. Theme Coverage Thematic Observations
Academic Integrity and Research 58.33%
This theme emphasizes the importance of honesty and ethical practices in research. It highlights issues such as data
fabrication, cherry-picking, and the negative impact of dishonesty on academia and technology development. It underscores
the need for collective efforts to uphold academic integrity for the benefit of society.
Ethical Aspects of Academic Practice 33.33%
This theme focuses on preventing academic dishonesty to promote integrity, highlighting the role of faith, honesty,
responsibility, and respect. It discusses the importance of early education on academic integrity, including plagiarism
awareness and the reinforcement of these concepts throughout one's academic journey.
Challenges and Experiences in Academia 16.67%
This theme explores the parallels between legal concepts and academic integrity, emphasizing the importance of
understanding and adhering to rules against plagiarism and cheating. It reflects on personal experiences in academia and
other areas, like the police force, to understand the consequences of violating academic integrity.
Learning and Student Perspectives 16.67%
This theme centres on students' experiences with academic integrity in their own departments. It discusses how professors
model integrity by citing original research and the role of peer review in preventing falsified data and biased interpretations,
thus enhancing the credibility of academic work.
Academic Environment and Ideas 8.33%
This theme addresses the importance of transparent research methodologies and reproducibility, for example disease-related
studies. It highlights recent instances of data falsification and the role of technology in detecting such dishonesty, emphasizing
the impact of unreliable data on patient treatment.
Problem-Solving and Academic Issues 8.33%
This theme delves into the implications of academic dishonesty in primary research, including in the medical field. It discusses
the consequences of ineffective treatments based on flawed research, the importance of clear data reporting, and the
scepticism it breeds among researchers.
Time Management and Early Career 8.33%
This theme focuses on the significance of time management for students. It highlights the challenges of balancing various
projects and the necessity of effective time management for productive research, avoiding burnout, and maintaining a healthy
work-life balance.
Society and Academic Importance 8.33%
This theme explores the broader societal impact of academic work. It emphasizes how research influences policy, public
opinion, and daily life, advocating for responsible and ethical research practices that consider societal implications and
contribute to shaping the future.
Skills and Critical Thinking 8.33%
This theme underscores the importance of developing critical thinking skills in academia. It highlights how these skills enable
questioning assumptions, effective information analysis, and lead to better decision-making, underscoring their value in
academic, professional, and personal life.
Training and Methodologies 8.33%
This theme emphasizes the importance of methodological training in academia. It discusses how understanding different
research methods enhances study robustness, the importance of staying updated with advancements, and how diverse
methodologies enrich research processes and outcomes.
Student work analysed with permission

15. Plus, about this much
direction and analysis
again…
A discussion with
ChatGPT Code
Interpreter

16. Plus, about this much
direction and analysis
again…
A discussion with
ChatGPT Code
Interpreter
Forgetting
abilities
Hallucinated
quotes
Losing the
educational
context
Needing
thematic
direction
Human
checking
and
rewriting
Poor
tokenisation

18. The Brick Wall

20. What Can We Do
As An Educational
Community?

21. https://bit.ly/3t9EUH9

22. Make the
rules clear
to
students

23. Support
students to
use AI
effectively
and ethically

24. Embrace AI to improve our own teaching
and student support

25. Embrace
working with
our students as
our academic
integrity
partners

26. Let’s ensure that
our students are
fully equipped to
succeed in the
global market!

28. Connect With Me…
Email thomas@thomaslancaster.co.uk
Website http://thomaslancaster.co.uk
Blog http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog
LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thomaslancaster
X @DrLancaster
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