AI basics

General principles of using AI tools for your study

When using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), you need to ensure that your final submitted assessment is your own work, creation, and analysis.

If you are using GenAI in your work, it is essential that you:

• understand the limitations of the technology and the risks of using it
• critically evaluate any output it produces as part of your learning process
• document how you use the tool and acknowledge this in your work.

Risks and limitations

ACU aims to develop student capacity to utilise current and emerging technology. You are encouraged to undertake these modules to develop the awareness, knowledge and skills to use GenAI tools ethically and responsibly.

We do not recommend relying on AI-generated content as a primary source of information.

Click on the flip cards below to learn some of the risks and limitations of GenAI.

Text version

While you can use GenAI as a prompt to investigate a topic, it will require further research from credible sources.

Caution

Use any generated output cautiously, selectively and critically. Always acknowledge where and how you have used it. Students must use the Student Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy to inform their use while at university.

Using GenAI tools responsibly

To use GenAI tools responsibly, there are some key considerations to keep in mind:

• the academic integrity of your final work
• your own privacy and security
• your legal and ethical obligations.

How is academic integrity applied to GenAI at ACU?

Consider the below guidelines when using GenAI in your study and assessments:

1. You may not be permitted to use AI in your assessment tasks. You cannot use AI unless it is explicitly stated in your assessment outline. Additionally, it is your responsibility to be aware of the University’s Student Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure and to follow it.
2. Make sure the final product is your own work, and not just copied from an AI generator. You can use the generated text as a learning tool for inspiration or guidance, but the final submitted assessment must be your own work, creation, and analysis.
3. Acknowledge GenAI tools used in your assessments. Ensure that you appropriately acknowledge any content generated by AI that you use in your work, and clearly indicate where you have used an AI-generated tool and to what extent.
4. Understand the risks and limitations of using such tools and critically evaluate any output they produce.

Your privacy and security

Did you know that AI tools learn from and use the information that has been input by users? That’s why it’s important that you don’t enter any sensitive or personal information into GenAI tools. When you submit content to a GenAI tool, you give them the right to re-use and distribute this content.

Consider that both the input and the output is stored by the owner of the AI tool. What happens to this in the future? What happens if the inputs and outputs are connected to you and become publicly available?

Legal and ethical considerations

Although the content generated from AI may be unique, it is based on the data used to train the tool and may breach intellectual property requirements. Caution should also be taken in the prompts given to AI. Prompting AI to create a work that closely resembles or incorporates copyrighted materials may also breach copyright. For example, prompting AI to generate an image of Darth Vader playing hopscotch with Yoda.

Also be aware, with any content submitted to an AI platform through your prompts, you often grant the AI services the right to re-use and distribute this content and that may result in a breach of copyright. Providing copies of text, images, sound, or video that you do not own the copyright for when prompting AI is likely to be a breach of copyright.

Generative AI

Ethical Considerations

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

For each Assessment item, your Unit Assessor will inform you in writing if the use of GenAI tools is explicitly prohibited. Using GenAI to assist with your writing or other assessment tasks when the use of GenAI tools has been explicitly prohibited or without acknowledgment, may be considered a breach of academic integrity, and result in an academic integrity breach with penalties.

ACCESSIBILITY

Currently many of these tools are free however some are starting to charge for access and for more up to date content. Any charges associated with these tools creates barriers within our society as it restricts access to information.

ACCURACY

Information and facts produced by generative AI tools can be delivered confidently, even when it doesn't have the facts to back up its statements. This concept is called hallucination. It is estimated that ChatGPT hallucinates 15-21% of the time. It's important to always fact check all outputs from these types of tools.

BIAS

Be aware that outputs from Al will contain bias, as all datasets and algorithms will include some form of bias within them. As these tools require data to create output, be conscious that some of those biases could be from commercial companies with a particular agenda.

CURRENCY

Content may not be up to date. Tools such as ChatGPT operate offline and are trained from data from mostly pre-2021. It cannot consider the most recent events or developments in a field.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Due to the way data is collected by generative AI tools, there have already been breaches in intellectual property. It's important to also practice caution when using these tools and adding prompts, as these tools collect that data. Depending on what you are adding, you could be breaching copyright for providing copies of text, images, audio or video.

PRIVACY

Al tools collect any data prompts; therefore, it is important to never put personal information or confidential information into any of these tools.

Check your understanding

Now that you have read how you can use GenAI responsibly at ACU, answer these questions to test your understanding. Once you have checked your answer, use the arrow button to move to the next question.