From GenAI to ZenAI: Finding an Optimal Balance Through the “Golden Rule of AI Usage”

“Use AI as you would want it to be used: responsibly, ethically, and with consideration for its consequences on individuals and society.” ~ The Golden Rule of AI Usage

While not particularly creative, this “Golden Rule of AI Usage” is an impactful one, one that I developed for practitioners, academics, and students alike. One that resonates with us as it is only the slightest degree of a departure from a rule that by and large governs many of our lives – or, at least, we hope it does. However, this simple rule is not being adopted quickly enough to offset the ethical damage occurring in Higher Ed and beyond. Within Higher Ed we know all too well to what extend students are willing to misuse GenAI (whether consciously or through naivety is up for debate). However, we’re also seeing faculty abuse GenAI to incredible extents from research to reviews to a complete dehumanizing of being an educator through GenAI-based grading systems and automated lectures. Despite these immense issues, our students need to learn GenAI and need to learn it now.

Central to this discussion is the acknowledgment that GenAI usage in education varies widely among faculty and students. This author contests that any business school that is not only failing to actively adopt AI best practices, but also failing to incorporate AI skills building in the classroom, is performing an injustice to their students’ education – a stance that can and should be debated amongst the attendees. Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences, reflecting on both the "peaks" and "valleys" of GenAI adoption. Specifically, participants will examine whether they have achieved an equilibrium in leveraging AI tools within their own careers and teaching practices, as well as how AI has influenced their students' academic outputs. In addition, we will transparently explore what ethical gray areas we have seen our students engage in through AI, as well as in our own careers! These personal narratives will serve as the foundation for a collective effort to explore and adopt the "Golden Rule of AI Usage" - a guiding principle tailored for effective and ethical AI implementation in business classrooms and professional contexts that should be a foundational GenAI-centric statement in any syllabus.