Laurentian drafts guidelines for responsible AI use

While LU acknowledges artificial intelligence literacy is a fundamental 21st century skill, it recommends caution, including disclosing use and not using it as a substitute for critical thinking

Draft guidelines for the use of generative artificial intelligence at Laurentian University encourage the “responsible and effective use” of the technology, but urges users to exercise caution.

The university’s provost, Alain Simard, presented the new guidelines to members of the LU senate governing body at their May 19 meeting.

“I know that there’s a saying that by the time you write anything down related to AI, it’s no longer relevant,” he said. “That being said, it is critical that we have a framework in mind, or some guidelines in place, in order to help guide us in the use of AI, whenever it is deemed appropriate.”

He said the AI guidelines have been in the works for about a year, and were developed by Laurentian’s executive team last fall, and brought forward to the senate’s teaching and learning committee for further discussion and revision.

Simard said he was similarly bringing the document to the full senate for consultation.

Laurentian University provost Alain Simard. Supplied

While no senate members provided any comments during the meeting, he said he’d be happy to receive feedback via email. He said he’d ultimately like the senate to approve the document.

The document said that the university “encourages the responsible and effective use of generative AI for its potential to enrich the academic experience and support teaching, learning, and research.”

“Laurentian University further acknowledges that AI literacy is a fundamental skill in contemporary and future workplaces,” the document states. “Users are encouraged to exercise caution and critical judgment to avoid compromising their privacy, security, and academic integrity during the developmental use of these systems.”

A few sections in the document say users of AI should be transparent about it, including a disclosure statement within works, “if and how it was used to support the development of the given body of work.”

The university also recommends that AI use in coursework or teaching be disclosed for transparency and to maintain integrity.

It said users are responsible for materials produced using AI, “and must exercise rigorous review of their materials to verify accuracy, check for bias and ensure appropriateness.”

Laurentian said that students are encouraged to use AI as a supportive resource rather than a substitute for independent thinking, in order to preserve the integrity of their learning and the development of critical thinking and analytical skills.

Also, if AI use “is permitted in any capacity, students must adhere to the Policy on Student Academic Integrity and the Policy on Integrity in Research and Scholarship.”

The draft guideline said that intellectual property rights must be respected when GenAI is leveraged for the production of text materials.

Laurentian said that a self-paced course entitled, “Foundations of Generative AI” is available through its internal learning software D2L.

The course, available to students, staff and faculty, “explores how GenAI works, its benefits and challenges, and how it should be responsibly used to support learning, accessibility, teaching, and research. All are encouraged to take the course in conjunction with these guidelines.”

Finally, the document said the guidelines “will be reviewed annually to reflect emerging developments in GenAI technologies, as well as evolving academic, ethical and institutional considerations.”

Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.