AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E and others offer huge potential to enhance research. However, their use comes with ethical obligations to ensure integrity and credibility in academic work. Below are key considerations for UCT students.
Avoiding Plagiarism: AI tools may generate text or images that resemble existing works. If you include this content in your assignments or research, you must properly cite the tool and the output.
Acknowledgement of Use: If an AI tool influenced your work (e.g., helping with brainstorming or language refinement), you should disclose this in your assignment or thesis.
Originality of work: AI should not replace your intellectual effort. Use it as a supplement rather than a substitute for critical thinking and analysis.
Collaborative integrity: If working in a group, ensure all members agree on how AI tools will be sued and acknoweldged in the project.
Accuracy concerns: AI tools may produce content that sounds authoritative but is factually incorrect or fabricated (e.g., false citations or case law). Always verify AI-generated information against trusted academic sources.
Bias and limitations: Be aware that AI tools reflect biases in their training data. They may underrepresent certain perspectives or perpetuate stereotypes.
Privacy: Avoid sharing sensitive or confidential data with AI tools, as many of them store and process inputs for future use.
Legal Boundaries: Be cautious when using AI for legal or medical research, as these fields hav strict standards for accuracy and confidentiality.
Clear documentation: Maintain a record of your prompts and the AI outputs, especially if they inform significant portions of your work.
Disclosure policies: Some faculties or departments at UCT may have specific guidelines on AI usage in assignments. Check with your lecturers or supervisors.
Literature reviews: AI tools can suggest sources or organise information but should not replace your reading or synthesis of the material.
Writing assistance: Use AI for grammar and style suggestions but avoid letting it generate entire sections of text without attribution.