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This guide will show you some general tips for using Artificial Intelligence tools. However, you should check with the instructor of each of your courses to find out their specific rules for using ChatGPT and similar Generative AI tools for homework or papers.
Instructors may also have a specific way they would like you to reference or cite the AI tool.
“The back view of a college student and cute little robot typing on laptop showing the screen" prompt, Adobe Firefly, 30 Jan 2024, firefly.adobe.com.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a way to train computers to do complex tasks commonly associated with human intelligence, as well as to learn from those tasks..
Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) is a specific type of AI designed to generate new text, images, video, or audio based on the content that it has studied. Generative AI tools "learn" by processing large amounts of data, such as text and images from the internet, and intuiting patterns from this data to generate new content.
In order for the computer to generate new material, it needs to:
Some content adapted from University of Richmond's Generative Artificial Intelligence guide, Deakin University Library's Using Generative AI guide, Princeton University's Generative AI Guide.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.). Artificial Intelligence (AI): At a Glance. Britannica Academic.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, artificial intelligence (AI) is"...the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or learn from past experience." Watch this Simplilearn video Artificial Intelligence In 5 Minutes to learn more!
Generative AI is a specific type, or subset, of AI that "...creates (aka generates) content based on the data and examples it was trained on... The most well known generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are powered by large language models (LLMs). LLMs are trained on massive amounts of text in order to understand user input (prompt) and generate a response by predicting the most likely desired sequence of words and sentences" (USC Libraries). The language model learns by “reading” trillions of words that help it pick up on patterns that make up language, which allows it to pick up on and reply to your questions in common language patterns. (Bard FAQ)
For more information, check out the University of Arizona Libraries' Tutorials on Generative AI and ChatGPT.
Generative AI tools are NOT search engines, such as Google or library databases. Search engines retrieve existing information or content, such as webpages, videos, full-text articles, and e-books. Generative AI tools create, or generate, their own content (text, images) by using algorithms to predict the the most probable sequence of words that would follow a question you typed in.
Generative AI tools do NOT always contain up-to-date information. They are typically trained on static data sets that are outdated immediately.
Generative AI tools do NOT (usually) cite their sources.
Caution - Some Generative AI tools create fake information, references or citations. Always use other sources to double-check the accuracy of the results to avoid using "AI hallucinations" in your work.
Brainstorming“College student and friendly little robot working together on a laptop in a library" prompt, Adobe Firefly, 30 Jan 2024, firefly.adobe.com.