Speak with your instructor before using generative AI tool, such as ChatGPT, to help complete assignments.
If your instructor has not specified you may use ChatGPT or other generative AI technology, or has specifically stated you cannot use these tools, using these tools to complete a portion or whole of your assignment will be considered academic misconduct.
If your instructor has permitted the use of generative AI tools, make sure you understand exactly what is permitted for a specific assignment
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to machines completing tasks with human-like intelligence.
We encounter AI-enabled technologies daily. Asking Alexa or Siri a question, using facial recognition on your phone, voice-to-text messaging, Google maps, and recommendations on Netflix all use AI.
Although AI is common, new tools are constantly being developed, and the technology that supports AI moves fast. It’s important to understand how these technologies work and the pros and cons of using them. In academia, AI tools can be used to automate transcriptions of lectures, provide grammar and spell check, and suggest related readings in library databases. However, there are also concerns about how AI is trained and used, especially in academic settings.
Use this guide to learn more about the pros and cons of AI, find resources for instructors and students, and learn how to evaluate and cite AI content.
Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of AI that can create text, images, or other media based on its training material.
Typically, most GenAI is trained to recognize patterns using large quantities of unlabeled text to detect patterns and create new content from scratch. In technical detail, this follows a large language model (LLM).
ChatGPT and DALL-E are examples of GenAI because they produce text and images based on a prompt from the user and will refine the output with feedback. GenAI is trained on huge amounts of data, often collected off the internet. Some GenAI uses a smaller, more curated dataset to create a higher quality output.
GenAI has a broad range of both use and concerns, such as ethical and societal impacts and consequences. For instance, while GenAI can simplify complex text, program code, and help outline a paper, it does not have ethical filters, can make mistakes, and is known to fabricate answers. When using GenAI tools, it’s important to evaluate both the content provided to GenAI and the content it generates.
Academic integrity refers to an ethics of honesty, trust, fairness, and respect for your own education and for those around you. Engaging in academic integrity means being honest about your coursework and respecting the work of your peers, instructors, and other scholars in the field.
Unauthorized or misuse of AI can result in academic dishonesty. If you are not permitted to use AI, it could be considered cheating or plagiarism to use it in your work. Not acknowledging that you’ve used AI could also be considered academic dishonesty, even if you are permitted to use it.
See the Resources for Students page for more information on using AI in your studies.
Interested in how AI models are built and trained? Review the resources below.
Unless otherwise noted, this guide is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License).
Information on this page was adapted from Mount Royal University Library's Artificial Intelligence page, which is licensed under aCC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.