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AI Task Force

AI for Students

There is a wide variety of generative AI applications available to be used by students for just-in-time learning assistance as well as for providing strategies and tools to maximize time efficiency and productivity as student balance competing demands on their time.

Academically, each course students take will have it's own boundaries and expectations around AI use - students should sure to check their syllabi and communicate with their instructors to ensure they are engaging appropriately with AI in each instance to avoid academic integrity violations.

AI Basics

Glossary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): This refers to "the ability of a computer to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence" (Woods, 2023, p. 1).
  • Deep Learning (DL): This is another broad term that is a subset of both AI and ML, and refers to a system's ability to detect and learn patterns in the data to enhance decision-making through neural networks (Heidmann, 2019). 
  • Generative AI: This refers to the ability of an AI model to create new content based on the data it has been trained on (Woods, 2023). As of 2023, AI models have been trained to create text and code (ie, ChatGPT), images (ie, DALL-E), audio, 3D renderings, and video (Woods, 2023). 
  • Machine Learning (ML): This term refers to the process of a machine (ie, a computer) using algorithms and/or statistical models to learn and independently improve its performance. This is a subset of Artificial Intelligence (Heidmann, 2019). 
  • Model: Models refer to the AI software programs that have been trained on datasets "to perform a specific task" (Woods, 2023, p. 1).
  • Prompt: The process of entering instructions and/or keywords to direct AI software to generate an output, such as text or an image.
  • Training: This is the process of feeding data into AI software so that it begins the machine learning process.
Adapted from CSU Online Course Services (CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Ethical Considerations

Below are a few ethical considerations to be aware of before engaging with generative AI applications.

Data Accountability - Inaccurate or biased inputs in the training data may cause unreliable outputs from generative AI applications. Additionally, not all content in AI training data is sourced ethically or in adherence to copyright law and regulations.

Energy Use - There are concerns about the significant energy resources required for generative AI data centers and processing.

Security & Privacy - Users should read the terms of service for any application you adopt to be clear how data you input and any outputs produced can and will be used going forward. Sensitive information should not be shared with any application that does not adhere to required data security protocols.

AI at Work

Below are a few example of generative AI being used in the contemporary workplace across a range of disciplines

Architechture and Design

British architechture and design firm Zaha Hadid Architects is using AI text-to-image generators like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney to come up with design ideas for projects.

Manufacturing

Scheneider Electric is leveraging artificial intelligence for a range of products and services from a customer service chatbot to supply chain logistics.

Law

Dentons, the world's largest global law firm, is set to launch "fleetAI" a proprietary version of ChatGPT that will enable the firm's lawyers to conduct legal research, generate legal content and identify relevant legal arguments. A second bot allows multiple legal documents to be uploaded so that key data such as clauses and obligations can be extracted, analysed and queried against. 

Agriciultural Sciences

Bayer announced the pilot of an expert GenAI system to benefit farmers and up-level agronomists in their daily work. The company has been using proprietary agronomic data to train a large language model (LLM) with years of internal data, insights from thousands of trials within its vast testing network, and centuries of aggregated experience from Bayer agronomists around the world.

Media

NBC announced on Wednesday it will use AI software to recreate Michaels’ voice to deliver daily recaps of the Summer Games for subscribers of its Peacock streaming platform, a milestone for the use of AI by a major media company.

Ways Students Can Leverage AI

AI for Research Assistance

Students can use AI applications as part of the research process to aid with finding relevant articles, summarizing findings of articles, and analyzing large data sets. 

Learn more about AI Research Assistance

AI for Writing Assistance

Students can AI applications as a writing aid for functions such as brainstorming, grammar checking, citation formatting, and argument structure. AI can also be used as part of the writing process for non-academic communication such as emails, cover letters, and flyers. These tools can be used in a standalone fashion or integrated into common programs such as Google Docs and Gmail.

Learn more about AI Writing Assistance

AI for Learning Assistance

Students can use AI applications for learning assistance such as personalized tutoring, self-quizzing, and accessibility. 

Learn more about AI Learning Assistance

AI for Presentation Assistance

Stuents can use AI applications to aid in the creation of presentations such as slide shows, posters, and infographics. Image generation tools can help provide illustrative material and slide generation tools can help design dynamic slide templates.

Learn more about AI Presentation Assistance

AI for General Assistance

Students can use AI applications as general use personal assistants for various needs in life such as: time management, executive functioning, and decision-making. 

Learn more about AI General Assistance