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 and when it might be considered academic misconduct.
We have provided some general guidance on using AI ethically below, however ultimately it is best to ask your lecturers for clarification on what they believe is appropriate, as they will be marking your work.
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.