Canvas Content Repository: "Can't ChatGPT Do This For Me?" (Artificial Intelligence)

What are the ethical implications? 

One of the most common conversations around AI ethics in higher education is, of course, about academic integrity. If you aren’t familiar with your school's Academic Integrity Policy, take a moment to check it out. Here's CCV's and here's VTSU's take a moment to check it out. Using AI without your instructor’s approval or without proper attribution is a violation of academic integrity. Be sure that you cite your use of AI appropriately. Visit the VSCS Libraries’ Citing Sources page to find guidelines for several citation styles, including APA and MLA.  

There are other ethical considerations to keep in mind when you use AI tools:

• Bias: AI models reflect the data they're trained on which means they can perpetuate the societal biases that are present in that data. Be conscious of how AI generated content may be reinforcing stereotypes and misinformation. 

• Data privacy: Generative AI relies on enormous amounts of data, raising concerns about user privacy and consent. Check the user agreement terms of the tool you’re using to make sure you understand how your data can be used.

• Energy: AI systems require a huge amount of power to run, which means they have a huge carbon footprint and cooling them requires a lot of fresh water. As this contributes to the climate crisis, disadvantaged communities continue to experience the worst consequences while receiving the fewest benefits from the technology. 

There are many generative AI tools available, with more popping up every day. Some are free, some require you to create an account, and some are subscription-based. Like any tool, you want to choose the best one for your needs. An AI Chatbot that generates human-like text may be able to help you improve your writing, but it probably isn't the best tool to help identify bugs in your code. There are specialized tools to do all kinds of tasks, from image and video creation to creating slideshows from your notes.

To identify tools that are appropriate to your needs, consult trusted sources like your instructors or librarians. Some lists of gen AI tools that are particularly relevant to users in higher education are being maintained, like Ithaka S+R's Generative AI Product Tracker and Professor Niels Van Quaquebeke's AI Tools for Research Workflow in Academia.

Free Tools and Privacy

AI tools are extremely expensive to develop and run, and yet many companies offer free access to at least some of their features. Big companies have lost money on their AI offerings. So why provide anything for free? It isn't out of the kindness of their hearts. They're getting something other than money from you that has value to them. This may be your data, your labor, or something else, and it may be something you aren't aware of giving. Check the Terms of Use carefully.

Whether and how you use free tools is up to you. Just make sure you know what you're agreeing to when you use them, and don't put anything in that you wouldn't post publicly online.

VSC Accounts with Microsoft Copilot

By logging in with your VSC email address, you have access to Copilot with commercial data protection. This means that your data is private to you and protected from Microsoft (Copilot Chat Privacy and Protections). Your inputs won't be used to train the model, although you still shouldn't share private or sensitive information. You can log into Copilot on any browser at https://copilot.microsoft.com/ or access the most features by logging into the Edge browser. Look for the green "Protected" shield at the upper right of the page. 

1. Mistral-Medium, response to “Edit this text for clarity and length. The output should be a maximum of 35 words. ‘Acceptable AI use is determined by each instructor, so check your course syllabi and consult with your professors before you use any AI tools to help with assignments. If your use is allowed keep in mind that you must still cite it. Unauthorized use of AI tools is a violation of academic integrity.’” Mistral AI, January 12, 2024, https://poe.com/Mistral-Medium. Final version reviewed and revised for clarity, length, and accuracy by a VSCS Librarian.
2. Some of this text is based on ChatGPT-3.5 responses to "[Draft] a brief overview of what generative AI is, with a specific focus on chatbots and how LLMs work. Don’t go into too much technical detail. You can use a metaphor to facilitate understanding. Please respond in 200 words or fewer.” and “Do AI models like you think and understand the way people do? How does it differ?” OpenAI, December 2023, https://chat.openai.com/. Final version reviewed and revised for clarity, length, format, and accuracy by a VSCS Librarian, and integrated with human-drafted text.
3. Some of this tab’s text is based on ChatGPT-3.5 responses to “You are a college librarian. You have been asked to draft some content for a course module on information literacy. The tone should be friendly and helpful. Your audience is adult students pursuing associate degrees. Please discuss the major ethical considerations about generative AI, including bias, data privacy, and academic integrity (especially plagiarism). Your response should be 200 words or less.” OpenAI, December 2023, https://chat.openai.com/. AI-generated text was reviewed and revised for clarity, length, format, and accuracy by a VSCS Librarian, and integrated with human-drafted text.
4. Shaolei Ren, “How Much Water Does AI Consume? The Public Deserves to Know.” OECD.AI, published November 30, 2023, https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/how-much-water-does-ai-consume. 
5. Leo S. Lo. “The CLEAR Path: A Framework for Enhancing Information Literacy through Prompt Engineering.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 49, no. 4 (July 2023): 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720. 
6. The examples used here are from Leo S. Lo. “CLEARer Dialogues with AI: Unpacking Prompt Engineering for Librarians.” CHOICE Media Channel, uploaded September 20, 2023, YouTube video, 1:02:47, https://youtu.be/3pvmMEnJhCs?si=qbgaOyAX0t1Nn2Mk&t=1165. His explanation and examples of the CLEAR Framework starts at 19:25.
7. Tom Dotan and Deepa Seetharaman. "Big Tech Struggles to Turn AI Hype into Profits; Microsoft, Google and Others Experiment with how to Produce, Market and Charge for New Tools." Wall Street Journal (Online), Oct 09, 2023. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/big-tech-struggles-turn-ai-hype-into-profits/docview/2874287548/se-2. 
8. Google. "Gemini Apps Privacy Hub." Last modified February 8, 2024. https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13594961?visit_id=638386774697090704-3701760816&p=privacy_help&rd=2. 
9. OpenAI. "Privacy Policy," Last modified November 14, 2023, effective January 31, 2024. https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy. 
10. Microsoft Learn. "Copilot Privacy and Protections." Published December 1, 2023. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/privacy-and-protections#commercial-data-protection.