Exploring the relationship between empowerment in using artificial intelligence for problem-solving and artificial intelligence ethical awareness: Multi-group structural equation modelling

While increasing attention has been given to cultivating students' artificial intelligence (AI) ethical awareness, the factors that contribute to its development remain underexplored. Psychological empowerment is a crucial motivational factor influencing students' intentions to incorporate ethical norms in developing AI-based solutions. Hence, this study filled this up by exploring the relationship between empowerment in using AI for problem-solving and AI ethical awareness. Empowerment in using AI for problem-solving in this study comprised three components: impact, self-efficacy and meaningfulness. Data was collected from 681 students from secondary schools and a university in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results revealed that the impact of using AI for problem-solving positively predicted human autonomy, beneficence, and fairness components of ethical awareness. Meaningfulness in using AI for problem-solving was positively associated with beneficence. However, self-efficacy in using AI for problem-solving negatively predicted beneficence. Multi-group SEM results revealed that gender significantly moderated the structural paths between impact/self-efficacy/meaningfulness in using AI for problem-solving and human autonomy. Such promising findings highlight that psychological empowerment is an effective intervention to cultivate students’ ethical awareness in using AI for problem-solving, with the project-based learning approach providing a supportive environment for AI applications.