Using AI Ethically and Responsibly

Engaging with AI ethically and responsibly is key to your academic and research learning journey.

Academic Integrity

Developing your own skills builds confidence in your abilities and identifies areas for improvement. Any work you submit should be yours. Copying AI-produced content directly and representing it as your own without a citation or disclosure is a form of cheating.

Faculty Expectations

Your instructor determines the acceptable use of AI for the course and assignments.

  • Check your course syllabus carefully.
  • Review assignment instructions.
  • Ask your instructor directly for clarification.

Attribution

When AI is permitted, you must properly document and credit its use.

  • Name the specific AI tools used.
  • Explain the purpose (brainstorming, data analysis, etc.).
  • Assess the extent of AI influence.
  • Declare the role of human interaction.

Data Privacy and Security

Be cautious with the data you provide to AI tools.

  • Never share sensitive, personal, or institutional data with AI tools unless they are explicitly approved by the university for such data levels.
  • Assume all information shared with public-facing AI tools may become public and be retained by the vendor.
  • Configure AI settings so your data isn’t used for training new models.
  • Never share information about others without their permission.
  • Use university-approved AI tools whenever possible, as they have data protection agreements in place and typically do not use your data to train their systems.

Accuracy and Bias

AI models are trained on large datasets and include prejudices, factual errors, and biases.

  • Assess the outputs from Generative AI technologies critically.
  • Identify and challenge biases and inaccuracies.
  • Verify facts, statistics, and data points with multiple reputable sources.
  • Never rely on a single source.
  • Check usage rights before using AI output is free to use without checking.

Note: Generative AI tools can “hallucinate,” meaning they can generate misleading or made-up information.

Avoiding Over-reliance

Learning requires engaging in critical thinking and practice yourself. Use AI to enhance understanding, not as a shortcut.

Reference

Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities. (2025). AI-U Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence 2025.