Instructional Technology: AI Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the ability of machines or computer systems to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence. AI systems are trained using data and algorithms, which enable them to learn and improve over time.

Common Application of AI:

• Language translation
• Image and speech recognition
• Decision-making
• Personal assistants

A list of Current AI Tools

• ChatGPT
• Microsoft Copilot
• DALL-E
• Google Mini
• Google NotebookLM
• Perplexity

More AI apps can be found on this page.

While many generative AI systems have recently become available, ChatGPT is currently the most prominent, gathering worldwide media attention. It is an AI tool that uses natural language processing and predictive technology to respond to user-generated prompts and create or revise written products of all kinds, including essays, computer code, lesson plans, poems, reports, and letters. In short, you ask ChatGPT a question or provide a prompt, it replies using natural language. We encourage you to try the system to test its capabilities and limitations.

The use of AI within higher education raises a number of concerns:

• Plagiarism is a significant issue. Attribution and referencing are corner-stones of our existing knowledge-creation process and it is vital that our students understand and respect this. AI generated content cannot be reliably detected by existing anti-plagiarism software as the model´s outputs are ‘original’, simply not human generated.
• Students’ digital literacy levels vary greatly and it may be difficult to accommodate everyone’s needs and comfort levels with the technology. There is also the potential for students to become overly reliant on the technology and/or to use it inappropriately, to the detriment of their own critical thinking and problem-solving skill development.
• Ethical concerns around privacy and data security; bias and fairness in its training data, the use of AI tools to grade and provide feedback on student work; and academic integrity policies specifically addressing the issue of AI-generated content need to be addressed.
• Academic records, such as examinations and course assignments, are considered a student record and protected by FERPA. For example, AI tools should not be used to draft initial feedback on a student’s submitted essay that included their identifying information. Asking AI tools to respond to question prompts would not be a FERPA violation, as no student information is provided to AI.