AI, Plagiarism, and Ethics: How Multimedia Journalism Programs in Lebanon are Adapting

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an omnipresent force in our daily lives, particularly as its latest developments are programmed to emulate the intricacies of a human mind, act with human-like intelligence, and possess cognitive capacities. Several international organisations and policymakers regularly develop and update policies to highlight the opportunities and threats of AI for humanity, particularly in the field of education. As a result, educators and academic researchers are increasingly interested in how AI can be integrated into learning environments while maintaining ethical standards. This study investigates AI in the context of multimedia journalism programs in Lebanese universities. Thus, two broad research questions are tackled: How are universities that offer such programs dealing with AI in the classrooms? And what are the attitudes of students towards the use of AI in their projects and assignments? The authors use two qualitative research methods: in-depth interviews with chairpersons of relevant departments and focus groups with multimedia journalism students, to reflect on plagiarism in the AI era while highlighting the ethical dimensions of AI use in the classroom. This study provides recommendations and insight for future academic integration of AI tools in journalism education.