Abstract
The integration of generative AI into knowledge work has ushered in a transformative era of efficiency, scalability, and innovation, yet it also presents profound ethical challenges that lie at the border of technological advancement and moral responsibility. As organizations increasingly adopt AI-driven systems for content creation, decision-making, and data analysis, they face a critical tension: balancing the pursuit of operational efficiency with the imperative to uphold ethical principles such as fairness, accountability, and transparency. This paper explores the ethical dimensions of generative AI in knowledge work, situating the debate within the broader context of disrupted institutional frameworks and evolving societal expectations.
Through the lenses of deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics, this paper examines generative AI’s ethical dimensions, with each framework offering a distinct perspective on moral responsibility. Building on these foundations, we propose an integrative ethical model that reconciles efficiency with fairness, fostering AI governance that is transparent, accountable, and adaptable. This model advocates for explainable AI techniques, ethical cost-benefit analyses, and a virtue-based AI culture, ensuring that generative AI serves as a tool for both innovation and ethical responsibility. Recognizing that AI ethics is not merely a technical concern but a cross-disciplinary imperative, our approach calls for collaboration among technologists, ethicists, policymakers, and business leaders to navigate the blurred boundaries between innovation and responsible management. By aligning technological progress with human flourishing, this integrative framework addresses the challenges of generative AI in an era of disrupted institutional contexts.