Established University Policies on AI Usage in Educational and Research Activities

By :

Uttkarsha Bhosale
Dr. Gayatri Phadke

Nov 23, 2023

Uttkarsha Bhosale, "Established University Policies on AI Usage in Educational and Research Activities." Enago Academy. September 28, 2023. https://www.enago.com/academy/university-policies-for-ai-use-education-research/.

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Generative AI has emerged as a disruptive technology in education and research, particularly accelerating the United Nations’ “Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)” established in 2015. However, it also poses risks and lacks adequate policy and regulation. As UNESCO is committed to guiding AI in education with a human-centered approach, focusing on inclusivity and equity, they’ve published “Artificial Intelligence and Education: Guidance for Policy-makers” to help policymakers understand AI’s potential and challenges in educational and research activities. While these guidelines are accepted worldwide, several universities have established policies to enhance educational process, human work capacities, protect intellectual rights, and foster sustainable development of knowledge when integrating AI.

In educational settings, responsible AI is critical to fostering critical thinking skills, while empowering students to explore creative avenues and innovative solutions. The lines are much less defined in research settings, as concerns over ethics, data confidentiality, intellectual property and research integrity take the center stage.

In response to the rapidly evolving generative AI tools, educators and researchers can expect students to use AI tools for conducting basic and advanced activities if no specific guidelines are provided; necessitating implementation of an instructional policy that can enhance, limit, monitor and perhaps even eliminate the use of such applications. Several universities have already invested in developing such policies to ensure responsible AI usage.

This article examines critical components of a comprehensive policy that can safeguard educational equity and research integrity. The analysis has been categorized on the basis of impact on educational assessment, inclusion of research components, audience type, specific monitoring measures, integrations of an ethics committee and access to training/resources. We have assessed the stance of some of the top-rated universities according to QS World Ranking 2023.

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