What is Generative AI?

You've probably already heard of the uprise in Generative AI tools like Open AI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, but what exactly is it, and how can you use it? This page is designed to help you learn about it and expectations at the University.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an AI chatbot powered by Large Language Models (LLMs); these tools have analyzed massive amounts of data, and are continually trained to recognize patterns and underlying rules and structures in society to generate responses based on the questions asked.

Was that confusing? If yes, think of it in simpler terms: when given the question, How can I explain generative AI to someone? Google's Gemini gave the following response:

Imagine a machine that can learn from tons of existing music, paintings, or stories. It then uses this knowledge to create entirely new things, like composing its own song, painting a unique picture, or writing a fresh story. That's basically generative AI!

Think of it as a super creative assistant that can take your ideas and spin them into something completely new, like turning a simple sketch into a detailed landscape or a sentence prompt into a full-fledged poem.

It may seem odd or uncomfortable thinking about using Generative AI tools like this, but these tools can be a great resource to supplement student learning and assist students (and faculty) in their daily tasks. When your brain isn't working, or you need a jumpstart, Generative AI is a great resource to help get you over that hump. Later on in this page, you'll learn about how you can potentially use generative AI as a student!

AI Course Policy

[Faculty should include their AI policy here].

Instructor note: Your policy should clearly state what your level of acceptance is, when and if it is okay to use it, consequences for using it in nefarious ways, and anything else you want to add. Check out the AI syllabus statement page for ideas if needed.

Using Generative AI Responsibly

Using Generative AI comes with a lot of responsibility. While Generative AI can help with creativity, problem-solving, efficiency, and building critical thinking skills, it also comes with a lot of drawbacks. Ethical considerations, fact-checking, and proper attribution and transparency are all vital when it comes to being ethical consumers and users of generative AI. Below are some basic guidelines for Generative AI use.

Students should adhere to the class policy in relation to AI usage.

Instructors at UNO have the ability to choose how and if they want students to use AI in their course; some of your instructors will not allow AI use in their course, some will embrace AI use in their course, and the majority will fall in the middle of those two. You should not violate the instructor policy listed above. If you don't see an AI policy, ask your instructor about their acceptance of it and if you're allowed to use it in any way.

AI should be a tool in your toolbox, not the end all be all for school work.

Although AI can be good at completing tasks, it is important that you are not using AI to complete your work for you. Instead, if allowed, use AI as a resource to study, brainstorm, write rough drafts, or find information (similar to how you may use Google). Entering assignment questions into an AI tool and copying and pasting the response as your answer is a violation of UNO's Academic Integrity policy.

Ensure you are using AI ethically.

Generative AI is trained by data and our interactions with the system. With this information, and it being new technology that isn't fully understood, there can be a lot of unintended consequences if not used correctly. When using generative AI, it is critical that you are not feeding private or confidential information into the AI tool or using AI in a way that violates intellectual property rights or course policies. Lawsuits, identity theft, and privacy violations where your information is shared with other users or the public could all be potential consequences.

Do not accept AI output as fact.

Generative AI models are known to have hallucinations or provide false information, can be misleading, and provide biased answers. When using AI, it is important that you do not accept its answers at face value but instead, think critically about the output you are receiving. A couple of things to do when using AI:

Keep an eye out for biases and inaccuracies: Assume there are biases and inaccuracies in the responses. Consider what changes need to be changed to remove biases and inaccuracies, or how you engineer your prompt differently.
Fact Check: See if you can find the same information in a Google search or elsewhere.
Evaluate citations and results: double-check they are real articles, books, and authors. Compare content to knowledge you already have and what you've learned in class: what makes sense and what sounds skeptical?

Students should cite when using AI Work.

Similar to other works, all work that was completed with the help of AI should be cited. Not giving proper attribution to AI can have serious repercussions in regard to academic integrity. Students are solely responsible for their submissions, whether they use AI or not. Submitting incorrect, plagiarized, or biased work can violate UNO's Academic Integrity policy.

For more information on citing Generative AI, check out the AI Prompt Book page on citing.

You are responsible for your assignment submissions.

As the student, you are responsible for your submissions. If your submission contains AI content that is plagiarized, false, or consists of biased information, you are responsible for it and will be graded accordingly. If your AI-created submission violates the academic integrity policy, appropriate consequences will transpire.

Garbage in = garbage out

Good prompt engineering is an important component of using AI effectively. The better your prompts, the better the results you will get (the first time around). Good prompts include clear directions and details on what you want them to do and not do. For more information on how to write great prompts, check out the AI Prompt Book for Students page, Learn How to Write Great Prompts!

Learning How to Use AI

While you may use AI in a variety of ways in class, you can also use AI on your own to assist in your learning experience. Many students choose to use AI to help study for a quiz, or to understand content better. While examples of different ways you can use AI in your learning are shared below, please note that your interactions with AI should be in accordance with your professor's AI policy.

AI Use	Description of when and how
Brainstorming	If you're struggling to come up with a topic for a paper or assignment, ask an AI tool to come up with different ideas for you. This can get you over the initial task and get you well on your way to completing the assignment in an efficient time frame.
Quizzing Yourself	AI tools can be used to help prepare you for upcoming exams or quizzes by having it test your knowledge. Feed a list of vocabulary and definitions or questions and correct answers to the AI tool; then ask it to feed you one question or vocab word at a time and ask for the correct answer or definition. You can ask it to not give you the correct answer, but give you tips to help you find the correct answer.
Rephrasing Content	Sometimes, academic writing can be above our ability to understand. Asking AI to rephrase content into a lower reading level if you're not understanding something can be a great way to ensure you're understanding content and not missing important information.
Summarizing Class Lectures	If you're struggling to see the key points from a class lecture, feed an AI tool the notes you took from class and ask it to summarize your notes and/or pull out the key points from the lecture. This can help you reflect on what you learned and/or make sure you're understanding what the most important points were.
Organizing Thoughts and Ideas	When coming up with ideas for a presentation, paper, or research proposal, it can be hard to bring it back to one cohesive idea or see the path to take. You can use AI tools to identify and summarize themes from your thoughts and ideas to get a clear path and move on quickly.
Use as Peer Reviewer before submitting	Wondering what grade you might get on an assignment? Feed your class rubric and assignment into the AI tool and ask it to grade your assignment based on the rubric. You can go one step further to ask it to give suggestions on how you can improve the assignment to get a better grade. Please note, just because AI gave you a specific grade does not mean that your instructor will give you the same grade. AI is not human and can misinterpret rubrics and expectations.
Understanding a grade on an assignment	Occasionally, you may be confused about why you received a grade on the assignment, and want immediate feedback. You can use AI tools to get that feedback you want. Feed an AI tool the assignment rubric, your assignment, and your grade, and ask it to explain why you received the grade you did. Please note that this is not an acceptable way to argue against the grade you received on an assignment.
Summarizing Research Papers/Abstracts	If you're ever stressed for time and need to read a lot for class, you can ask AI to summarize portions of a research paper or abstract to get through the content quicker. This can help ensure you're prepared for class or have some foundational knowledge for discussions and/or assignments.
Practice Q&A Session for a Presentation or Conference	Preparing to present and not having any ideas about what type of questions you'll get can cause anxiety in individuals. To help you prepare for a conference presentation, class presentation, thesis defense or something similar, you can feed a research proposal and/or summary of your research to the AI tool and ask it to come up with a broad range of questions you may get. You can then practice answering them so you are more prepared for your session.

For some more examples of using AI, check out the AI Prompt Book For Students