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AI: Student Guide to ChatGPT, CoPilot and Other AI Resources

Guide content supports the teaching and research goals of multiple departments on campus. Content represents a non-exhaustive selection of essential resources and tools for engaging a wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints

Is using ChatGPT, Copilot, or other AI resources considered cheating?

Using ChatGPT at The University of Iowa

Instructors may have policies on how ChatGPT or Copilot may or may not be used in classroom assignments. If your instructor doesn't have a written policy or hasn't stated whether generative AI can be used for assignments, ASK.

Tips for talking about generative AI with your instructors

The best time to talk with your instructor is before you begin your assignment to avoid needing to start over if generative AI isn't allowed.

Be specific in how you plan to use generative AI. Would you like to use ChatGPT to help brainstorm ideas or come up with a topic for your assignment? Are you using it to summarize or explain complex concepts? Or do you plan to use it for writing and editing? Be prepared that your instructor may approve some use cases but not others.

Have a plan for giving credit. APA Style, MLA Style, and Chicago Style all have guidelines for citing generative AI. Your instructor may also ask for an appendix that includes the prompts that you provided to ChatGPT or the full transcript of your interaction.

What to do if you are falsely accused of cheating with generative AI

Some instructors might use tools that claim to be able to detect whether a text was written by generative AI. However, those tools are not consistently accurate. They give both false negatives and false positives. 

Dr. Lyndon Walker gives some useful advice in this video: What to do if you are falsely accused of cheating with AI.

University of Iowa Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Guiding Principles

Guiding principles for responsible AI adoption

Every pillar of the university strategic plan stands to benefit from the transformative impact of AI. However, we need to be clear-eyed about the risks and ethical concerns that come with the technology. As we fulfill our mission, we will follow the guiding principles outline below:

University of Iowa Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Guiding Principles

Amplify Human Potential

We deploy AI as a means to elevate human capabilities, not diminish them. We use AI to automate routine tasks, provide valuable insights, and create opportunities for higher-level thinking and problem-solving, allowing individuals to focus on tasks that require uniquely human skills such as empathy, complex reasoning, and creative innovation. Many of the biggest opportunities are in the combination of human and artificial intelligence as we leverage the broad and deep expertise of the campus. 

Collaboration and engagement

Communication, interaction, and engagement are key elements of our success within our community. Using AI for collaboration with each other and with external partners and stakeholders, we can engage in accessible, effective communication in ways that respect and value different ideas and perspectives.

Excellence

We pursue excellence in all we do by using AI to improve performance, quality, and outcomes in our academic, research, and service activities, as well as in our personal and professional development. We explore AI solutions that can help us achieve higher standards and goals in our endeavors.  

Digital and information literacy

All our students need a foundation in digital and information literacy as an essential part of a core education. Learners in all disciplines must be prepared to use AI proficiently, safely, and ethically. The university will continually assess and ensure that our graduates have the knowledge and skills to apply AI in their area of study, including the ability to critically assess the output of AI systems for bias and inaccuracies. As a university, it is critical that we are intentional about the technology and tools and we adopt.  We need to drive adoption of the technology, not the other way around. 

Responsibility and integrity

We use AI with integrity and responsibility by ensuring that our AI solutions are honest, fair, respectful, and ethical, and that they uphold our values and standards. We also ensure that our AI solutions are transparent, accountable, accessible in an equitable manner, and secure, and that they respect the privacy and rights of our community members and external partners.