Dragons' Guide to GAI
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is all around you, often built into applications you’ve been using for years. GAI technology is changing the way we write, read, and think. It’s important that you understand how these tools work, and how your choice to engage (or not engage) with them might affect your schoolwork, your professional and personal life, and our society at large.
In some cases, GAI tools can support the work of human intelligence. For example, they can process large amounts of information very quickly or recognize patterns in large data sets with high accuracy. In other cases, the human labor of double-checking GAI outputs for mistakes or bias can be more time-consuming (and less interesting) than doing the work yourself.
As a learner, you will face a lot of choices and pressures about whether and how to use GAI. Your professors may encourage, require, or ban GAI tools. You might end up with a different set of rules for every class, or even every assignment. Social media will bombard you with tips and tricks for using GAI to complete your coursework. Companies will target you with advertising campaigns for GAI tools, hoping to profit from the hype. This three-step student guide is designed to help you make informed choices about GAI use (or refusal) in a way that prioritizes your own learning and values, as well as the well-being of our local and global community.
Step One: Understand "GAI"
To become an informed user of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools, you need to understand how they work in the first place. Do you understand how GAI models generate their outputs? Do you know when to use a chatbot to find information and when to use a traditional web or library search instead? Do you understand who creates and markets GAI tools and for what purposes? For answers, go to Step One.
Go to STEP ONE: Understand "GAI"
Step Two: Think critically about how GAI affects your learning
Once you understand the underlying mechanism of Generative Artificial Intelligence, you can start thinking about whether, why, and how to introduce GAI tools into your academic and professional work. Do you understand what skills you are outsourcing and why? Are you able to assess GAI outputs for accuracy and bias? Do you understand the social and environmental costs of using GAI tools? For help with thinking through these questions, go to Step Two.
Go to STEP TWO: Think critically about how GAI affects your learning
Step Three: Take full responsibility
When you decide to integrate GAI tools into your workflow, you have to take full responsibility for any GAI-assisted materials you submit. Are you able to ensure your GAI-assisted work is informed, fair, and accurate? Do you know your instructor’s or employer’s rules concerning GAI use and documentation? Are you actively reflecting on the way GAI is changing your academic, professional, and personal life? For answers and guidance, go to Step Three.
Go to STEP THREE: Take full responsibility