A Framework for Addressing Academic Integrity Challenges in the Era of Artificial Intelligence in South African Universities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming ubiquitous across all sectors, including higher education, and AI, specifically generative AI, is an example of how advancing technologies will revolutionize the way we teach, the way we learn, and how we assess learning. In South Africa, the emergence of AI in higher education presents many potential benefits as well as significant risks for organizations committed to preserving academic integrity, such as AI-enabled plagiarism, ambiguity in authorship and the use of unreliable detection tools, and a lack of policy development. Systemic inequality in the education system and a global digital divide result in a lack of access to technology and/or inadequate skills development to effectively use devices connected to the internet; therefore, the lack of national oversight on the use of AI and other new technological applications creates an additional layer of complexity around these issues in South Africa. This research employs a conceptual approach to synthesise recent literature to develop a multi-dimensional framework that is influenced by ethics, policy, pedagogy, and technology. Rather than focusing solely on the punitive detection of AI-related academic misconduct, the study provides a framework for a perspective of "cautious optimism" by emphasizing the importance of AI literacy, ethical transparency, adaptive institutional policies, and the redesigning of assessments and assignments. Furthermore, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse regarding practical, context-specific solutions to assist South African higher education institutions in ensuring academic integrity in an age of AI.