In This Story
Ashish Hingle, a doctoral candidate in information sciences and technology and a graduate researcher in the trailsLAB is studying how students develop artificial intelligence (AI) literacy through their coursework, reflection, and role play. His research emphasizes balancing the technical capabilities of AI and its social and ethical implications for both users and developers.
“Developing AI literacy is no small task, especially as the technology evolves quickly, but fostering this understanding is critical,” says Hingle. One aspect of Hingle’s research is the emphasis on values such as ethics, accessibility, and stakeholder involvement in the responsible use and development of AI.
Hingle’s research with his advisor, Aditya Johri, challenges the conventional reliance on disaster scenarios in AI ethics education and instead presents fictional but grounded cases that resonate with students. Their innovative approach, involving case studies and role play through the Mason Tech Ethics Project, allows students to reflect on AI from multiple perspectives. This work has led to several publications, an honorable mention at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, and a second-place award at the Innovation Week 2024 poster competition.
"We're not just teaching about what is right or wrong; we're empowering students to become active participants in ethical discussions of how, where, and why to use technology to solve a problem," he said. "Our work with the role plays and other activities encourages students to consider diverse perspectives, be self-reflexive in how they use technology, and engage in collaborative problem-solving."
Over the past year, Hingle participated as an ICICLE National AI Institute Educational Fellow, where he developed a case study on using AI for social good. Hingle’s presentation based on this research won second place at the 2024 ACM SIGCSE Technical Conference Student Research Competition. As part of his dissertation, Hingle received a grant from Mason's Mentoring for Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (MARIE) program. This research involved predominantly first-generation students reflecting on their AI learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
Looking forward, the trailsLAB is exploring how students and educators use generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot. Their newest paper examines students’ perceptions of the value of generative AI, highlighting misconceptions, pragmatism, and the value tensions associated with learning in an environment where this technology is openly available. Hingle is optimistic about the potential impact of this line of research.
"By fostering ethical understanding along with technical competence, we're building literacy and equipping the next generation of professionals with the skills they need to navigate complex ethical challenges – challenges they will likely face as they start their work beyond Mason," he said. "It's not about some grand or life-changing events; literacy helps people understand the small choices we make every day and how they affect us and our community."
Note: The research described in this article is partly supported by US NSF Awards 2319137, 1954556, and USDA/NIFA Award 2021-67021-35329. This work is also supported by a research grant through George Mason University’s Mentoring for Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (MARIE) program and the ICICLE National AI Institute. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.