AI in Criminal Justice Education: Assessing Educator's Attitudes and Experiences

Since the public release of OpenAI's ChatGPT and similar large language models in late 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become a significant societal force. Discourse about these developments through OpEds and blog posts have raised critical questions for educators about the promises and pitfalls of AI integration into higher education. Through an online survey administered to criminal justice educators (N = 68), the current study explores attitudes about and experiences with AI, and beliefs about the practical challenges AI presents. Results indicate criminal justice educators are both excited but also uncomfortable with the implications of AI for higher education. Respondents were generally concerned about the implications of AI for academic integrity and student development. Interestingly, respondents who had actually used AI tools expressed higher levels of excitement and comfort and lower levels of concern, suggesting that exposure to AI tools may play a key role in assuaging educators' fears and concerns regarding AI tools. Additional findings and implications are discussed.