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Profiles of the Dark Tetrad and the frequency of GAI-related academic misconduct

The rise of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) presents new challenges to academic integrity, enabling students to engage in academic misconduct with reduced effort and risk of detection. While previous research has examined personality predictors of academic misconduct, very few studies have adopted a person-centered approach to explore how distinct Dark Tetrad personality profiles relate to GAI-related misconduct over time. A total of 781 university students in Taiwan completed the Time 1 survey and 760…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-1535· cite & verify
Profiles of the Dark Tetrad and the frequency of GAI-related academic misconduct
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In brief

Researchers surveyed university students in Taiwan at two points, one month apart, and grouped them with Latent Profile Analysis into three Dark Tetrad personality profiles: Narc-Psych-Sad, Machiavellian, and High Dark Tetrad. They then compared how often each group reported using generative AI for academic misconduct.

The findings suggest that who cheats with generative AI is not uniform, and that personality-based profiles may help schools think about where integrity risks concentrate. However, the smallest profile had the highest averages without a statistically significant difference, so the full pattern remains unsettled.

Main points

  1. The sample included 781 university students in Taiwan at Time 1 and 760 at the follow-up one month later.
  2. Latent Profile Analysis identified three profiles: Narc-Psych-Sad, Machiavellian, and High Dark Tetrad.
  3. The Narc-Psych-Sad group reported more frequent GAI-related misconduct than the Machiavellian group.
  4. The High Dark Tetrad profile had the highest observed means but did not differ significantly from the other two.

The problem

Among Taiwanese university students, those in the Narc-Psych-Sad personality profile reported more frequent generative AI-related academic misconduct than those in the Machiavellian profile.

The rundown

The study frames generative AI as a new academic integrity challenge because it lets students cheat with less effort and a lower chance of being detected. It notes that prior work examined personality predictors of misconduct but rarely used a person-centered approach.

Instead of treating personality traits one at a time, the researchers classified students into profiles based on the Dark Tetrad and followed them over time. Retention between the two surveys was high, with 760 of 781 students completing the second one.

Profiles differed significantly in total frequency of GAI-related misconduct. The High Dark Tetrad profile was small, which is why its highest observed means did not produce a significant difference from the other profiles.

Sources

  1. Peer-reviewedActa Psychologica2026-10-15

The debate