AI stands for Artificial Intelligence.

In recent months there has been an explosion in different AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Microsoft Copilot and Google Bard and more keep appearing.

Understanding how to use an AI tool for assignments and in the workplace means you are using and demonstrating your evaluation skills, valuable tools that employers expect to see.

You ask the tool a question and the tool trawls through the internet and other web-based collections of data such Reddit and Wikipedia to find “answers.”

Content is created by predicting the next most likely word based on the previous words, phrases it’s already found and the question you asked.

It then puts this data together in a statement that responds to the question you posed.

AI cannot:

• Understand what the words mean or the context of the statements.
• Assess the accuracy of the content as it is predicting words.
• Use the human skills of evaluation, review, and critical appraisal.
• Write in your style or use your voice.
• Always provide current, up to date information.
• Check whether the data is correct, objective, controversial, unbiased, and inclusive.
• Reference in the style you are expected to use in assignments.
• Check if the citations it provides are correct as it is predicting text, not trawling for suitable and appropriate references to articles or books.

It is your voice, your abilities to manage and interpret data, your literacy skills that you need to demonstrate in assignments and that employers want to see in your chosen graduate profession.

Yes, Turnitin can detect and provide an overall percentage of how much text has been AI generated.

If AI text is generated and then included in an assignment as your own work, it would be considered under the university Academic Integrity Policy as work produced by a third party, and you may be asked to take part in a Viva to explain the score.

Cutting and pasting all or some of the content created by the AI used and not citing could be considered plagiarism.

Equally your tutor marking your assignment may have concerns that AI has been used to create the assignment. Triggers could be:

• The tone and vocabulary used is different to what you’ve used before.
• There are spelling and grammar errors.
• Different tenses are used.
• There isn’t any analysis, just description or a repeat of the question.
• There isn’t a logical flow in the structure of the assignment.
• The question isn’t answered in terms of currency of content or use of examples (not providing UK examples).
• References aren’t genuine and available.

Firstly, check whether you are allowed to use AI in assignments and your course, the assignment brief and your tutors will be able to advise.

Think about AI as a tool to help with your assignment, not create your assignment.

The help could be:

• Identify ideas and concepts to research further.
• Read around a subject.
• Suggest images, visuals, and graphs (remember to cite correctly).
• Planning your assignment, the structure, conducting a literature search, etc.

BUT the content it pulls together may be false and inaccurate. Just like with Wikipedia you cannot just accept it. You need to use your information literacy and evaluation skills to check and review what the tool is telling you.

Within the library collection there are more reliable scholarly resources such as Credo to check facts and get concepts and ideas.

The Skills for Success open access guidance can help with essay planning, interpreting graphs etc.

If you do use AI as a help tool, you will need to reference it in your assignment.

Cite Them Right gives the format your citation needs to be in (link to referencing pages), but please check with your tutors on the referencing style you should be using.

Login to Cite Them Right from the Referencing pages and go to the Digital & Internet section -> Software -> Generative AI (University log in required).

The citation gives an example of how to create the intext citation and the reference list.

Best practice is to save a transcript, or a screen shot of the question you posed and the answer you got and add to your assignment as an appendix.

Because AI is organic and ever growing, you cannot repeat the questions and get the same answer. A transcript will show your tutors how you used AI at the time of asking.