In the evolving landscape of education, artificial intelligence challenges how we define integrity, honesty, and accountability. As institutions rush to adopt surveillance tools to detect misconduct, a deeper question arises: are we fostering moral responsibility or simply policing behavior?

Academic integrity has long been treated as a set of rules to follow. But in the age of ChatGPT, auto-paraphrasing tools, and AI-assisted writing, integrity must go beyond compliance. It must become a cultivated value—one embraced even when technology can’t catch wrongdoing.

Instead of defaulting to fear-based enforcement, we must reimagine integrity through intentional design. That includes:

·         Transparent AI usage policies that empower rather than punish

·         Ethics-centered curricula that explore real-life dilemmas

·         Collaborative honor codes shaped with student voices

As C.S. Lewis aptly put it, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” In this new era, it’s time to shift the gaze from surveillance to stewardship—where institutions lead by trust, and students rise with conscience.