Ontario Tech Researcher Examines Ethical Concerns of AI Use in Education

Dr. Isabel Pedersen, Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and Director of the Digital Life Institute at Ontario Tech University, is addressing ethical issues posed by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, according to a university announcement on February 26, 2025.

This work matters to educators, students, and community members as AI tools, such as large language models, are being used more frequently in classrooms without existing ethical guidelines. Dr. Pedersen has stated that future research should ensure input from underrepresented groups, including Indigenous students.

According to Ontario Tech University, the Digital Life Institute collaborates with researchers at the University of Minnesota, Texas Tech University, Temple University, and other institutions to create frameworks for ethical technology design. Dr. Pedersen has noted that advances in technology have heightened concerns about privacy, security, identity, the digital divide, and discrimination.

The Institute reports that its research areas include the development of virtual reality, AI-assisted writing, digital privacy, and the effects of humanoid robots on users. The university states that Dr. Pedersen is scheduled to present on March 7 at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia about AI assistants that can interpret human emotion. According to the Institute, this presentation will discuss issues such as whether artificial empathy provided by these systems can be trusted and the potential for these systems to be deceptive.

Ontario Tech University states that the Digital Life Institute was established in 2020 by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. According to the university, the Institute includes 15 Ontario Tech researchers from multiple faculties and 40 researchers from partner institutions.