New AI assignment guidance from the University of Manchester
By Grace Hilton
Students may now use AI (artificial intelligence) tools, such as ChatGPT, to help generate ideas and key themes, as well as to plan assessments, new guidance states.
The guidance on using AI in assignments, published by the University on October 30, 2023, also permits students to include citations or quotations from content produced by AI systems.
Guidance on referencing AI in assignments has been published by the University of Manchester Library.
However, claiming AI-generated content as own work constitutes plagiarism.
Specific course units or assignments may have different rules. Detailed instructions on what is acceptable, along with the possibility of signing a code of conduct, will be provided in such cases.
Reports have suggested that students are increasingly concerned about tools like GPTZero, which can spot AI-generated content in their assignments. Students worry about being wrongly accused of cheating despite not using ChatGPT.
The University of Manchester stated, “[t]ools to detect AI-generated content are unreliable and biased and must not be used to identify academic malpractice in summative assessment. Output from such tools cannot be used as evidence of malpractice.”
The University of Manchester’s position on AI is as follows: “When used appropriately AI tools have the potential to enhance teaching and learning, and can support inclusivity and accessibility. Output from AI systems must be treated in the same manner by staff and students as work created by another person or persons, i.e. used critically and with permitted license, and cited and acknowledged appropriately.”
With AI usage rising across UK universities, the government has issued a warning about the significant security risks expected in the country over the next two years.
In a speech on October 26, 2023, Rishi Sunak announced he would establish the world’s first AI safety institute in the UK to explore “all the risks – from social harms like bias and misinformation, through to the most extreme risks.”
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