Artificial intelligence, or AI, refers to "intelligence" generated or demonstrated by machines (as opposed to living sentient beings, like humans). For more information on Artificial Intelligence visit the Artificial Intelligence research guide.
Generative AI (GenAI) is a new form of artificial intelligence where we have seen a boom in systems and tools available since the early 2020s. The models underpinning it learn the patterns and structure of the enormous amounts of data they are trained on and use this to respond to prompts. Many such tools (e.g., ChatGPT) are evolving all the time, capable of generating text, images, videos, code or other data. (Generative AI overview from Wikipedia).
York University has a clear policy on using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). Any unauthorized use of GenAI for assessments is considered to be a breach of academic honesty. York's Senate Policy on Academic Honesty includes information on using an AI tool to gain an improper advantage on an academic evaluation when it has not been authorized by their instructor (Section 2.1.1), or plagiarism if they are using images created by another, i.e. through the use of DALL-E or another image-generating tool when not authorized by their instructor and not attributed to the creator (Section 2.1.3).
Note: The Academic Integrity and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology document distributed by the ASCP committee in February 2023 draws on York's Senate Policy on Academic Honesty to provide clarity on the use of this technology for academic work.
To promote clear and consistent practices, students across York are not authorized to use text-, image-, code-, or video-generating AI tools when completing their academic work unless explicitly permitted by a specific instructor in a particular course. See the Academic Integrity and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology for more details.
Always confirm with your instructor that you are allowed to use GenAI tools and how you are allowed to use GenAI tools for assignments and assessments.
The following are selective GenAI tools. Some are free and others are not. Please review the AI and Academic Integrity tab to ensure you are using these tools ethically and responsibly.
GenAI and other AI tools are not without their weaknesses. Often AI-generated content can be inaccurate and biased. It is important to evaluate your sources and verify information using credible sources. See the AI and Academic Integrity tab for more information.
It is also important to understand and be aware of how your data is collected, stored and accessed when you use these AI tools. Your IP address, questions/prompts, chat interactions, uploaded files and other personal data could be stored and accessed by the AI creator/organization. You may not be able to access or delete this information.
Similar to citing books, articles and other resources used in your assignments, it is important to cite any AI-generated content you use. Properly citing your use of AI tools demonstrates academic integrity.