Artificial Intelligence for Students: Using AI in the Classroom

This will depend on what you want the AI to do and how your instructor wants you to use AI. In some instances, for example using AI to write a whole paper, using an AI would not be appropriate and may count as plagiarism. In other classes, use of AI may be incorporated into an assignment, such as writing prompts to create an outline for a research project. Unless given specific directions, you should probably check with your instructor before using AI.

For all the ways in which it can be used, AI presents some serious limitations, among which are:

Bias: The AI retains any biases from data on which they were trained. This could include being inclined toward a Western/U.S. perspective, amplification of social stereotypes, as well as racial and gender stereotypes.

Fictional Information: AIs have been known to create information to fill in gaps, such as creating false attributions to non-existent research.

Inaccuracy: The AI is only as good as the data upon which it was trained, this means that there can be wide gaps in the AI's knowledge base. As mentioned above, the AI can attempt to compensate for this by making up data.

Copyright is still a murky area when it comes to AI. In general, if you used AI in an assignment you should cite those instances.