AI in Writing: Navigating Plagiarism, Bias, and Academic Integrity
A Quiet Revolution: The Role of AI in Kazakhstan’s Universities
Across universities in Kazakhstan, a transformative movement is taking place, spearheaded not by traditional forces like politics or economics, but by the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (AI). As students increasingly turn to AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and QuillBot for assistance with their writing assignments, they find themselves in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.
These AI resources are now commonplace in classrooms, writing centers, and dormitories. While some students utilize them for simple editing or brainstorming ideas, others rely on them to produce entire essays. The conversation is shifting from whether AI is an appropriate tool for education to how best to leverage its capabilities.
AI has the potential to enhance academic life in Kazakhstan, especially for multilingual learners who face writing requirements in Kazakh, Russian, and English. It offers instant, personalized feedback that can significantly aid their academic journey. However, the uncritical adoption of AI tools raises serious ethical concerns, particularly regarding plagiarism and bias—issues that challenge the foundational principles of originality, critical thinking, and equity in education.
Rethinking Plagiarism in the Age of AI
Historically, plagiarism has been understood as the act of copying someone else’s work without attribution. However, the advent of AI complicates this definition. For instance, if a student instructs an AI to write 500 words on the causes of World War I and submits it unchanged, is that plagiarism? If they make slight revisions, does that change the equation? These questions reveal a pedagogical rather than purely academic problem.
Students employing AI tools often miss the core lessons of writing: the development of critical thinking, synthesis, and analysis. Kazakhstan’s universities need to update their academic integrity policies to reflect these nuances. Transparency in students’ use of AI is essential, as is an understanding of their intent.
While most students understand that directly copying AI-generated text constitutes cheating, uncertainty about institutional policies around AI usage creates additional complications. Profound differences in guidance from different faculty members only heighten this confusion. To address this ambiguity, Kazakhstan’s universities could follow the lead of international institutions that are developing clear, coherent guidelines for the use and citation of AI-generated content.
However, merely enforcing penalties for misuse will not suffice. A deeper cultural shift is necessary—one that teaches students the value of originality and the writing process while incorporating AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement.
The Hidden Biases of "Neutral" Technology
Another pressing ethical concern is bias. Many believe that AI, driven by algorithms, is inherently neutral. In reality, AI tools are trained on vast datasets predominantly from English-speaking and Western contexts, embedding cultural and ideological biases.
For students in Kazakhstan, this results in two critical challenges. First, reliance on AI may inadvertently reinforce Anglo-American academic practices, sidelining local traditions and scholarly methods. When Kazakh students depend on these tools, they risk adopting structures and citation styles that do not resonate with their cultural contexts.
Additionally, AI tools can perpetuate existing inequalities. Students from rural backgrounds or those more proficient in Kazakh or Russian may find AI resources skewed toward English-based content, creating disparities that reinforce educational inequality.
To combat these issues, universities must actively include discussions of bias in their curricula, fostering critical engagement with AI tools. Assignments should encourage local interpretations of global or regional issues, enriching rather than homogenizing academic discourse.
A Call for Ethical Leadership in Higher Education
Kazakhstan’s universities are uniquely positioned to lead the way in addressing these challenges. With their multilingual and multicultural populations, they can create AI policies attuned to local realities. This requires a comprehensive revision of academic integrity policies concerning AI-generated content along with consistent training for faculty, staff, and students.
Regular workshops on the ethical use of AI are essential, as are clear guidelines for disclosing and citing AI assistance. Integrating discussions of digital ethics and algorithmic bias into academic programs will empower students to be more discerning users of technology.
Banning AI from the classroom is not a viable solution; instead, embracing and critically analyzing its impact on learning and thinking is vital. By underscoring the importance of originality and inquiry, educators can foster a learning environment where writing is viewed as a thoughtful process rather than a mere product. AI should serve as a tool that enhances learning, not undermines it, while ensuring fairness, equity, and intellectual integrity remain central to the educational mission.
Author: Michael Jones, Writing and Communications Instructor, School of Social Science and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Astana.
