Abstract

We explore the considerations that shape professionals’ decisions about whether and how to integrate generative AI (GenAI) into their work practice, with a focus on the ethical reasoning and rationalisations involved. Drawing on 22 qualitative interviews from academics and communications professionals and using an interpretivist approach, we apply the lens of ethics work, the effort involved in navigating everyday ethical quandaries, to unpack the rationalisations that underpin these choices. While existing literature on information systems delegation is dominated by rational decision-making models, our findings show that heuristics, applied at the level of task type and informed by both instrumental and ethical considerations, play a critical role in informing professionals’ decisions surrounding AI use. By surfacing the invisible labour involved in navigating emerging technologies, this study reveals how professionals translate uncertainty into patterns of practice and shows how ethical reasoning becomes embedded in their routine decision-making about GenAI use.

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