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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resource Guide

Chat GPT & AI Tools

In this section, we will provide you with resources about Generative AI Tools.

Concerns With Generative AI

Even when discussing AI, there are concerns of Ethics and Privacy. How are they created ethically? Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has an Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Section. How are they affecting people's lives, jobs, etc? One of the biggest complaints of Generative AI tools is ethical considerations like job displacement by automation, transparency in development, and accountability for potential harms all demand attention.

This graphic shows the different ethical concerns of ChatGPT, however, it can also be applied to other Generative AI tools:

 

*From The ethics of ChatGPT – Exploring the ethical issues of an emerging technology

There are also conversations about Partnerships with Higher Education and Open AI(Creator of ChatGPT) 

Ethical Evaluation: 

Here are things you should ethically think about the tools you are using Generative AI:

  • Academic integrity (Click HERE)
  • Accessibility
    • Some Generative AI tools are currently free. However, "extra" features tend to be only included in subscription-based versions.  
  • Accuracy
    • Generative AI  might generate a false answer that appears to be correct, which is known as a “hallucination”. Many companies do not provide where the data used to train generative AI has come from.
  • Bias(Click HERE)
  • Creatorship
    • Using Generative AI to create content that you have not worked on, modified, or engaged with purposely means you are not presenting your own work. Your knowledge and skills have not been utilized.
    Privacy (Click HERE)

One topic that has repeatedly been an issue outside of Academics is ethical concerns for Artists, Musicians, Writers, and other creators whose work is being stolen from the Generative AI tools. Another concern is the lack of creativity with Generative AI and the rapid response time taking earnings from Artists. Learn more about it HERE. 

Related Articles: 

AI, Generative AI, and larger Machine Learning rely on large data collections. Many data sets are collected without clear permission from the people the data are about. Many are scraped from publicly posted videos, images, or text.

However, this does not necessarily imply consent.

Sometimes data where permission is technically given, like when users click "agree" on the terms and conditions or "accept cookies" that allow the site to collect user data, it's not always clear that people have been thoroughly informed of what they're agreeing to. This means it can collect confidential or personal information. Unfortunately, many websites, AI tools, etc., require users to click "agree" to use it. However, there are still ways to protect privacy and use these tools.

Here is Open AI's Privacy Policy, which explains what information they are collecting when you use ChatGPT. 

Here are things to avoid (as much as possible) when using Generative AI Tools:

  • Protect Sensitive Data
    • Do not share data that does not belong to you and potentially compromise the privacy of individuals or groups.
  • Avoid Sharing Confidential Information
    • Limit inputting or sharing data that is confidential. This means personal identification numbers(birthdates, SSN, home address), financial information(Credit Card numbers), health information, or any other proprietary data.
  • Review Before You Send
    • Make sure that you check the information you are sending to an AI tool and that it doesn't contain confidential information.
  • Check Privacy Settings
    • Companies like Google and Websites that have cookies, usually offer an opt-out option. You can reject unnecessary cookies or change your privacy settings so they don't use the information you give or search.

From Privacy Risks of AI Chatbots: ChatGPT and AI Privacy Issues

Related Articles: 

There are many ways that Ethical, Privacy, Plagiarism, and Legal issues with AI and Generative AI overlap. That means you will see familiar concepts talked about here and should go over the other sections for more information.

Who is responsible?

When an issue or case is taken to court or dealt with legally, there is something or someone to point at as the route cause. Where is that in AI and Generative AI? Who is liable when an AI system makes a mistake that leads to injury or damage? Is it the developers or is it the user? Is there a third party involved? Too many questions have and will arise with the Ethics and Privacy of Generative AI/AI. 

Check out Who Is Liable When Generative AI Says Something Harmful?  or Where's the Liability in Harmful AI Speech? for more information about this argument.

Copyright:

To learn more about Copyright Law click HERE

An important aspect of Copyright Law and Fair Use is for the good of the public.

To protect original works of authorship and creation, whether published or unpublished. The U.S. Copyright Office states "Under the fair use doctrine...it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports...Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances." This means that portions can be used, but those who use too much of a person's work will be liable for consequences. These can include fines(up to 250,000), imprisonment, or civil judgments. (17 u.s.c. 504). 

What does that mean for AI?

Generative AI Works will be treated like other fair use materials. Currently, the U.S. government is working to establish rules about how to include and exclude AI content from copyright and fair use. Some Generative AI creations may qualify as fair use. However, this is on a case-by-case basis because of the nature of Copyright Law. When deciding if something is fair use, there is a checklist that explains whether or not it is allowed. Since some Generative AI and AI creations will be used for Teaching, Research, Criticism, and other criteria under "favoring fair use", there is a real possibility that they will be safe under fair use.

Where the biggest concern lies is for Artists, Writers, musicians, and other creators that may lose profit over Generative AI creations. If these tools take enough of an artist's work to structure new content, then it will violate copyright law. 

Here is an example that was already denied by the Copyright Review Board.

“SURYAST” by Ankit Sahni.

They used the Generative AI tool RAGHAV to combine a picture they took with a famous painting. 

After Reviewing the work, the Copyright Review Board decided "he cannot register the AI-modified version before the Board. Because Mr. Sahni exerted insufficient creative control over RAGHAV’s creation of the Work, he cannot register it"(p.8).

Related Articles:

Turnitin and other AI "plagiarism detectors" 

Many resources like Turnitin and Grammarly have promoted their "plagiarism detectors" as a new tool for users to explore. However, there are issues with using AI and Generative AI tools to find plagiarism in your students' assignments. 

Here are some drawbacks to consider when thinking of using these tools:

  • Large Error Rates
    • These tools are not 100% accurate or foolproof which can produce false positives and false negatives. That can lead to students getting in serious trouble for something they didn't do. 
    • Never use an AI tool as a guarantee. Make sure to check yourself.
  • Black box AI models
    •  A Black Box model or algorithm is when a system's processes are not visible to the user or other parties. 
    • If you do not know how a system runs, how can you know the results are accurate? 
  • Misuse potentials 
    • Relying too heavily on tools like these can create an environment of suspicion and overcaution. They should be used as a supplementary option. 

Instead...

  • Introduce these concepts and concerns to the students in an engaging and critical-thinking level environment.
  • The why is the crucial factor. Students want to know why they can't use a certain tool and why it gives them incorrect information. Keeping them informed brings them into the conversation. 

Related Articles:

Here is a statement from the Office of the Provost about Turnitin and AI Detection:

"After carefully reviewing the available information and considering the faculty’s input, I have decided that Utica University will not continue its subscription to AI detection in Turnitin. This decision impacts only the AI detection services. Our regular Turnitin services will continue. In the future, we may change our minds. If we do, we can add the service to our Turnitin package at that time. In the interim, we will continue our campus conversations about AI, how we will meet the challenges it presents, and how to best support our students’ learning." (12/15/2023)

Chat GPT

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence tool that generates text based on given prompts. It is not a search engine that gives results for a specific search.

Instead, it creates “new content” based on the data that it has been programmed with.

When you ask ChatGPT a question it will generate a response that makes the most sense and is relevant to your specific question.

This AI Tool was trained to mimic human writing. ChatGPT's algorithm is designed to use probability to decide what word might come next in a sequence. Though its answers may sound believable or credible, the information generated is not always accurate.

  • Since it is currently popular, there are often times when it is down or slow to generate responses.
  • It was not designed to produce factually accurate information.
  • The material uploaded to the algorithm is from 2021 and earlier.
  • Since it is generated from materials that may be biased, it will reproduce those structures in its answers.
  • Some of the information provided may be hidden behind a paywall. 

  • You must create an account with your information to access the tool. 
  • Even with a Plus Plan, there is a limit on the number of messages you can send to the AI per hour. The general cap is 25 messages every three hours. This doesn't include peak usage times either. 
  • Can generate basic ideas, and content. Plus it can assist with brainstorming, making book recs, and more.
  • Helps construct melodies and chord progressions for writing music.
  • Writes fiction stories or narratives.
  • Work with you to produce and debug code.
  • Questions that promote hate speech or discrimination.
  • Questions that involve illegal activities or solicit illegal advice.
  • Questions that promote violence or harm to oneself or others.
  • Questions that invade personal privacy or violate someone's rights.
  • Questions that are designed to harass, threaten or intimidate.
  • Questions that contain profanity or explicit language.
  • Questions that are sexually explicit or offensive.
  • Questions that are discriminatory based on race, gender, sexuality or religion.
  • Questions that promote or endorse illegal drugs or substances.
  • Questions that are spam or irrelevant to the conversation.
  • Questions that contain confidential or proprietary information.
  • Questions that involve financial or investment advice.
  • Questions that violate the terms of service or community guidelines.
  • Questions that are nonsensical or incomprehensible.
  • Questions that involve personal attacks or insults.
  • Questions that are abusive or harassing.
  • Questions that seek to deceive or mislead.
  • Questions that are intended to defame or harm someone's reputation.
  • Questions that promote conspiracy theories or misinformation.
  • Questions that are purely for entertainment or joke purposes, without any educational or informative value.

Grammarly

What is Grammarly?

Grammarly is a tool that provides grammar and spelling help with data based on natural language processing and machine learning.

It works on...

  • Microsoft Office suite: Word and Outlook

  • Teams, Slack, Discord, Apple Mail, and Gmail

  • Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge

  • iPhones, iPads, and Androids.

What does this mean? 

Grammarly will not fix your writing for you; you can incorporate the feedback and decide what suggestions are appropriate. Some feedback may be incorrect because how and what you are writing falls out of the pre-programmed Grammarly system. Ex: Using the UK spelling of "Color" 

Grammarly Go: Grammarly's Generative AI writing tool.

It will ask you for a prompt for different scenarios in your writing journey. If you already have a Grammarly account, you’ll get 500 prompts per month.

With this tool, you can...

  • Generate ideas
  • Writing outlines
  • Format Emails
  • Create Ads 
  • Review your work
  • Create study aids

Using GrammarlyGo to fully complete your assignments is a form of plagiarism and should be taken seriously. Please use caution with this tool.

NOTE: Grammarly's advertising "Faster feedback, better grades. Grammarly is the ultimate peer-reviewer!" is not a guarantee. Though it might help you learn about your writing skills, this tool (like the other Generative AI tools) can make errors. Plagiarising with Generative AI tools will result in lower grades and potential consequences. See the University's discussion of Plagiarism. 

Grammarly has its statement: Commitment to Responsible AI

The free version will check for 150 common grammar and spelling errors.  The premium version includes suggestions to enhance vocabulary, checks for an additional 100 grammatical errors, and the ability to make style suggestions based on the type of document. Along with making suggestions for errors, Grammarly provides users with information about the error.  Grammarly can help get past many surface-level challenges.

Grammar Do's, Don't of College Application Essays- U.S News

Grammarly Offers Guides about Writing and Grammar in English:

How to Use:

  • Go to https://app.grammarly.com/ and log in (if needed).
  • Click on “Upload” and upload the paper you want to be proofread.
    • To read about the issues Grammarly found, click on the ▼expand button.
    • To accept Grammarly's suggestion, click on the green button.
    • To ignore Grammarly's suggestion, click "IGNORE."

Grammarly can also be used to assist with email writing. Once downloaded, it can be used with Gmail and other email services to help with grammar and spelling. The free version of Grammarly also has a tool that assesses the text for tone. Only the premium Grammarly plans include a tool that suggests tone adjustments.

Email Writing Articles:

Grammarly Guides on Email Writing:

 

You can use your email to create a Grammarly account, however, the University does not pay for a subscription and any choice to upgrade to a paying subscription is your own choice. 

*Plans as of 1/15/2024

Other Generative AI Tools

Here is a list of other Generative AI Tools that you may have heard of and a resource about Generative AI Resources

ChatSonic

  • This tool can create text, digital artwork, and voice commands.
  • The free trial option gives you up to 10,000 words for free.

Google Gemini

  • Similar to ChatGPt, it is a chatbot that can respond to a user's question with an almost human-like "understanding." It can create content, summarize text, and translate between languages.

lumen5

  • A Generative AI video creator that users select images and text to generate videos.

DALL-E 2

  • Created by OpenAI
  • Produces images and art in any style based on a user description.

Poe

  • Gives users access to "GPT-4, gpt-3.5-turbo, Claude from Anthropic, and a variety of other bots"
  • Includes both free and subscription bots.