Artificial Intelligence

Overwhelmed with artificial intelligence? Not sure how to use AI ethically or even legally? Hoping to learn more about specific AI tools to help you with your coursework or research? Worried that your students are using AI tools, even though you've asked them not to? 

While artificial intelligence has been around for decades, generative AI has disrupted almost every scholarly activity in higher education, including research, citation, instruction, copyright, and publishing since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022. 

This guide aims to help you understand some of the challenges that AI presents, offer resources to learn more about these issues and tools, and show where to turn for additional guidance and support. 

For up-to-date information on SU Information Technology Services's official AI guidelines, please visit their Quick Guide to Generative AI at Syracuse University. Resources available on the Quick Guide include: 

• Official University AI guidelines
• Vendor Artificial Intelligence Policy 
• AI at Work
• List of Approved Tools for Use with University Data 
  • Currently limited to Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly, Gradescope, and Blackboard’s AI
  • Note: University community members should not use University data when working in any other AI tools.
• Ways to Get Started with AI
• Prompting Tips: Getting Better Results
• Recommended Videos

When choosing and using AI tools, it's important to ask yourself some questions before you get started: 

• Which tools would be most helpful during different steps in the research process? 
• Who developed or owns the AI tool? Do you trust them?
• What AI tools are others in your academic field or class using?
• Will you read the fine print before agreeing to the developer's terms and conditions?
• Do you know how to use the tools effectively? 
• Are you staying up to date with the tools, their capabilities, and their limitations? 
• What are your own ethical boundaries for using AI tools? 

It might also be helpful to test your tasks on several AI tools, as they each offer different strengths and weaknesses. 

While the following list shares some of the most widely used AI tools in higher education, we do not explicitly endorse these or any other AI tools that might be available. AI tools change quickly, and you should understand the functionality, limitations, and specific concerns before using any AI tool. Additional information about several of these tools can be found under the "Common AI Assistants & Tools" and "Other AI Tools" pages of this guide. Please note that we are not endorsing tools mentioned in this guide, but are only sharing some of the most commonly used AI tools in colleges and universities. 

In addition, a number of databases and e-resource platforms licensed by Syracuse University Libraries have begun to incorporate AI-based tools, including Web of Science (via the Research Assistant tab) and Semantic Scholar.