Artificial Intelligence has the potential to help you get inspired and improve your work, so long as you do not use it as a replacement for your own thoughts, ideas, and writing.
It is inadvisable to use AI for course projects without the knowledge or permission of your classroom instructor.
Some ways that artificial intelligence can be used to inspire your work include:
- Topic Suggestions: Tell the AI program what you are interested in and even what the requirements of the assignment are, and it can suggest topics for you to write about. You should use these suggestions for inspiration and further library research, as the suggestions can often be superficial and unoriginal.
- Generate Keywords: If a library database search is not returning enough relevant, you may need to change or expand your search terminology. AI can assist with creating a keyword list from a question or description of a topic. The Harrisburg University's guide Identifying Keywords also provides strategies for creating list of terms for searching library databases.
- Grammar and Spell Check: You probably already use AI for editing if you use Grammarly or spelling and grammar check in Word, and using these tools can reduce errors in your work.
- Outlining: AI can be helpful in making an outline for a paper or project when you provide it with the ideas you need to organize.
- Coding: AI can help you write code or debug code when it is not critical for you to do it without assistance.
- Summarize Meetings: If you want to record meetings, most digital meeting platforms have a record feature. Always make sure everyone in the meeting knows you are recording. If you want to record a class to review later, you must ask your instructor's permission before class starts.
The best way to avoid misusing AI is to avoid using it for project that require research, originality, and critical thinking. The following Library guides can help you easily get started and master the research process:
As with any other source quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise used for coursework, material generated by any form of AI should be proofread, personalized, improved, and appropriately cited.