UHD Student Generative AI Guidelines

Why should university students take time to explore generative AI tools?

Exploring AI tools firsthand helps you understand both their advantages and limitations. By testing them, you can decide whether they suppport your learning, help manage your workload, or enhance your career readiness. Even if they don't seem useful right away, staying informed about emerging technologies is essential. AI is rapidly shaping every industry.

What should we think about before using AI tools in our college work?

1. Protect Your Personal Information

• Be mindful of what you share when using AI tools.
• Avoid entering personal details like your name (or classmate's), student ID, or contact informaiton to help keep your data safe.
• Example: Instead of saying, "Write an email from Frank Gomez, student ID 123456," just say, "Write a professional email to a professor asking for an extension."

2. Be Aware of Bias

• AI can reflect stereotypes or unfair assumptions from its training data.
• Sharing biased content can reinforce harmful stereotypes.
• Example: If an AI suggests only male names for leadership roles, question why.

3. Uphold Academic Integrity

• Use AI to support your thinking, not to replace your work.
• Example: It's okay to ask for help brainstorming a thesis, but not to generate your entire paper.

4. Verify Information

• AI may sound confident but still be wrong.
• Example: If AI says a historical event happened in 1985, double-check with a reliable source.

5. Understand Copyright Issues

• Ownership of AI-generated content is still unclear, so it's important to be cautious.
• Review: Citing Guidelines
• Example: If you use AI to create a graphic for a public project, be cautious about claiming it as fully your own. Copying and pasting and entire AI-generated essay and submitting it without changes or citation could violate both academic integrity and copyright expectations.

6. Avoid Harmful or Misleading Content

• Don't use AI to create or share false or offensive material.
• Example: Using AI to create fake images or videos of real people and presenting them as real. This can damage reputations, spread false narratives, and contribute to misinformation.

7. Consider the Environmental Impact

• AI tools use a lot of energy. Use them mindfully.
• Example: Instead of running multiple AI tools at once, choose the one that best fits your task.

For more guidance see Steps for Ethical and Responsible Use.

How can you make sure you're using AI tools in a way that respects your course rules and academic integrity?

Before using generative AI tools in your coursework, it's essential to understand and follow UHD's Academic Honesty Policy. Submitting work that isn't your own, using unauthorized materials, or fabricating informaiton is considered cheating. Failing to credit sources, including AI tools, can also be considered plagiarism. For example, copying and pasting directly from ChatGPT or another AI tool without attribution is a violation of most academic integrity policies. Each instructor may have different expectations for how (or if) AI can be used in their course. Always check the syllabus or ask your professor for clarification.

Key Considerations:

1. Has your instructor or college department provided guidance on how to use generative AI tools?
2. Am I losing an opportunity to learn an essential skill by using a generative AI tools?
3. Will the content generated be in my final assessment?
4. Can I verify the content generated to make sure it is credible?
5. Can I verify the content generated hasn't been stolen from someone else?
6. Have I considered the biases that may be shaping the creation?

Ethical and creative use of generative AI means thinking critically about all these factors. If you need more guidance, reach out to your instructor or advisor. You can also read Student Guide to AI to learn more.

Adapted from Using Generative AI

What role should you play in using generative AI responsibly and ethically?

Keep in mind that the ethical issues and limitations of Generative AI are significant. Generative AI does not think, feel, or reason. It generates responses based on patterns in the data it was trained on. Humans created, selected, and shaped the data and humans will continue to train it and decide how it will be used and developed. It is a powerful tools in the hands of a critical thinker. Your insight, fact-checking, and evaluation of generative AI content are essential to guide the future of generative AI.

Remember: The future of AI depends on how we use it today. Your thoughtful, ethical use of generative AI helps shape a more responsible and informed digital world.

In a world where AI can do so much, what makes your human creativity and problem-solving skills more important than ever?

Generative AI can perform tasks for you that would normally require time, sorting, searching, collaboration. Yet it cannot replace your unique perspective, creativity, or emotional intelligence. As a university student you have the ability to create innovative ideas and solutions. You can build your emotional intelligence because you know your community and you know people. Your communication and interpersonal skills can improve with cultural understanding, empathy, flexibility, open-mindedness. The value of your creative skills is more important than ever. These are skills that employers value most and they can't be automated.