The Library: Artificial Intelligence

Generative artificial intelligence tools provide challenges to scholarship and opportunities to enrich learning when used appropriately, ethically, and responsibly. Any use of these tools must be acknowledged and referenced correctly, whether you are including generated text or images in your work or have used them as part of the planning, editing, or proofreading process. 

Leeds Beckett generally permits using these tools to generate ideas, explore research, and seek guidance on improving written work where their use does not breach academic honesty regulations. Before using any of these tools, you should familiarise yourself with Leeds Beckett's guiding principles and check for School, course, module, or assessment-specific guidance about acceptable use.  You can learn more about academic honesty and the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in our Academic Honesty Tutorial.

Guidance (including referencing practices) for the use of artificial intelligence tools will change over time, so you should regularly check for any additions, clarifications, or changes to University, referencing, School, course, or module information. Remember, any use of generative artificial intelligence in your work (even as part of the planning/research process or to support a disability or language need) must always be acknowledged.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be valuable in helping you to explore ideas and enhance your understanding, but they should never replace the development of your skills (particularly critical thinking and writing) or as a substitute for undertaking your work. Like any tool, you should consider its use and be aware of the following:

• Acknowledge use: The use of generative AI tools must always be acknowledged in your work, whether this is part of the research and planning process or if it has been used in proofreading or correcting your work. This includes software with generative AI functions (including Grammarly/GrammarlyGO) which you may use to support a disability or language need.
• Plagiarism: When including AI-generated content in your work, you must ensure that you reference it correctly. Any paraphrases, translations, or summaries created by AI need to be treated as direct quotations (with secondary referencing). 
• Paraphrasing, summarising, and translation: The use of paraphrasing or translation tools may be prohibited for certain assessments or by specific courses and Schools.  Check with your course team if you are uncertain of what is allowed. AI-generated paraphrases, summaries, and translations do not count as your own work under the University's Academic Regulations so you must treat them as direct quotations and reference correctly (using secondary referencing) in your work.  Our Academic Honesty module in MyBeckett provides more information about paraphrasing. 
• Over-reliance: You may feel that your writing isn't "good enough" and that you need the assistance of writing tools to improve your work. However, overuse of these tools may hinder your learning and lessen the development of your academic skills. It is easy to use these tools to overedit work to the extent that it could no longer be considered your work.  It is important to use these tools alongside the development of your writing skills.  Our Skills for Learning web pages can help you with this.
• Accuracy of information: These tools are not search engines and, although they may present information that appears credible, it is often wrong. You will likely find that their citations are often fabricated. You must apply your knowledge and judgment to the credibility of any output and cross-check any information against credible sources. Our Finding Information web page will help you to develop your skills in locating good quality academic information for your work and studies.
• Critical thinking: These tools do not replace critical thinking. They may not pick up on subtleties and nuances in summaries and they cannot apply real-world understanding to develop an evidenced argument. Depending on their dataset, they may additionally perpetuate biases, false information/"fake news",  stereotypes, or an over-reliance on Western perspectives in their output. Our Critical Thinking and Critical Reading web pages have resources to help you develop these skills.
• Data privacy and copyright: Do not enter sensitive, personal, or protected information, copyrighted materials, or the intellectual property of others in these tools. This includes assignments, exams, seminar and lecture slides, and other course materials which are the intellectual property of the University. Access our Artificial Intelligence and Copyright guidelines and our Copyright web page for further information. 

The recorded workshop below has been created to help you understand the basics of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how to use it responsibly in your studies.  It covers the University's guiding principles for when it might be acceptable or appropriate to use generative AI in your academic work and personal development.  It discusses potential ethical issues and the importance of good academic practice and maintaining academic honesty (sometimes called academic integrity).  The information in this recording is correct as of August 2024.

Throughout the recording, there are opportunities for you to pause the video and reflect on your thoughts and feelings about the use of these tools.  Clicking on the arrow in the bottom right of this video will allow you to view it full-screen and access the menu should you wish to skip to a particular section. Viewing it in full-screen also provides a better experience for those using closed captions.