Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content such as text and images. It does this by learning patterns from existing data, then using this knowledge to generate new and unique outputs. Generative AI can create highly realistic and complex content that mimics human creativity, and its capabilities are developing rapidly.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) covers a wide range of tools and functionality. AI tools generate text or images in response to user prompts and questions. The responses of AI tools are based on the data sets upon which they have been trained
Here are a few examples of types of AI that are relevant to studying.
Text Generation
Tools such as ChatGPT (free*), Google Gemini (free) and Microsoft Copilot (free) are capable of generating text from user inputted prompts. This text is unique and is created in real time. If the same prompt was given to the same text based generative AI twice the result would be written differently.
You can use Text based generative AI:
However with any information given you should still apply your critical thinking and problem solving skills in your learning.
Text based AI sometimes generates inaccurate, misleading or biased information, and so you will need to use your research and critical thinking skills to ensure that information is correct. A particular area of inaccuracy is generated references. When asked for information to be referenced Chat GPT has been found to fabricate references and therefore should not be used for finding sources of information for assignments.
Image Generation and Editing
AI tools such as Padlet (free), DALLE 3 (paid), Microsoft Co-Pilot* (free*) and Canva (free*) allow for written text prompts to be turned into images.
Here is an example from the free image generator in Padlet from the prompt "A diverse group of university students play a board game in a beautiful library."
Have a look at the image closely. What do you see? Look at the individuals features.
Images from free generation software often are okay at on a surface level, however they have problems replicating human features particularly hand and eyes. Paid for versions are often higher quality, but come at a price.
AI can also be used in image editing. Photoshop and Google's 'magic eraser' tools can be used for near instant AI assisted image editing.
* Whilst the tool is free there are paid for levels
Text based AI will answer whatever question you will give it (provided that it is ethical) based on the information that it has been trained on from its database. Whilst AI can be a useful tool for studying, you will need to apply your own critical thinking skills to any information provided by AI just as you would do when finding information for your assignments.
For simple concepts AI is mostly correct, however with university level concepts it can be confidently incorrect. ChatGPT for example states that "ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information about people, places, or facts".
It is important therefore that you check information gained through AI with academic sources, and that you do not rely on information gained through AI in your assessments.
Understanding how Generative AI Tools Work
It is important to understand how generative AI tools work, in order to be aware of some of their weaknesses.
Effectively, an AI tool like Chat GPT provides you with what an answer to your question looks like. So if you ask it to write an essay on a particular topic, it will predict what it thinks an essay on that topic should look like, based on the data it is trained on and the way it is coded, rather than actually being an exact and precise answer to your question. Essays refer to facts and figures, so it will include facts and figures - but these may not be accurate, it may have made them up! Essays include academic references, so it will include academic references - but again, these may have been made up!
There have been many stories in the news recently about information provided by AI tools that turned out to be false:
A lawyer citing fake cases in court
The Guardian discovering AI is referring to fake Guardian articles
Fake quotes from political figures
It is vitally important that you are aware that AI tools do this and know how to independently verify the information provided.
AI Bias
AI tools are also only as good as the data used to train them. If that data is biased, one-sided or incomplete, the outputs from that AI tool will be too. For example, many current AI tools are very US-centric, because most of them are produced by US companies using data that comes from and contains mostly US sources. This can distort the answers these AI tools provide.
For example, if an AI tool is designed to help you identify flowers, but the data it uses only covers North American flowers, it is not going to be very helpful in identifying flowers from outside North America! It may also tell you incorrectly that the flower you are trying to identify is a North American one, because this may be the closest match in its databank. If you are not aware of this issue, and accept the answer you are given, you will go away thinking you have correctly identified your flower, when you haven't at all!
The use of generative AI tools to aid you in your research, study and writing is not prohibited - however, it is important to recognise when it is, and is not, appropriate to use and when it might be considered academic misconduct.
We have provided some general guidance on using AI ethically below, however always ask your teachers for clarification on what they believe is appropriate before using AI tools for your academic work. Your school/college policy may prohibit any use of AI regardless of if you are using it ethically. If you are undertaking the EPQ check any guidance you have been given.
General Guidance
If it would be considered acceptable to ask a person to help you with something - proofreading an essay or checking spelling and grammar, for example - it is generally acceptable to use AI tools for this. If it is not currently acceptable to get another person's help with something - planning or writing your essay for you, for example, or doing the research for you - then this is generally not acceptable to use AI tools for this either.
Basically, ask yourself this - "if a person did this for me, would it be considered cheating?" If the answer is 'yes', then it's generally still considered cheating when using AI tools instead.
If you choose to use text or images generated by AI within your work then you will need to acknowledge the original source to avoid committing plagiarism. This includes if you amend any work material created by AI.
Always check the referencing guidance given to you by your school/college for information on how to reference the use of AI in your work.
