Provisional Guidance for the use of Generative AI in Graduate Studies
With ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies recognizes the need for guidance on the ethical and responsible use of generative AI technologies in graduate work.
Principles of Use
- Accountability: Graduate students using generative AI bear responsibility for scholarly and creative work that includes AI-generated material. This principle encompasses the responsibility of graduate students to understand the limitations and potential consequences of the AI tools and applications that they use, and to understand who owns the output produced by generative AI. Graduate students must be prepared to defend all aspects of their work, including those produced using generative AI.
- Integrity: The use of generative AI in research, scholarship, creative, and learning activities must be carefully considered and clearly disclosed, to preserve academic honesty. Regardless of generative AI use, graduate students must think through their central research problem, scholarship, creative endeavour, or learning activity themselves.
- Transparency: The algorithms, data, and design decisions underlying generative AI systems, and the AI tools and applications used, should be openly accessible and explainable to the extent possible.
- Privacy and Data Security: Personal data and unpublished research data and concepts should be adequately protected, to ensure no infringement upon individuals' privacy rights and to respect intellectual property during the process of generative AI use. It is incumbent on graduate students to understand how the use of generative AI applications can lead to breaches of privacy and intellectual property rights.
- Inclusion: Accessibility and fairness in generative AI tools should be actively considered, ensuring they do not perpetuate existing barriers and biases. This principle further reflects the responsibility of graduate students to understand the limitations of the generative AI tools and applications that they choose to use.
Guidance for Use
In performing activities that are part of the degree requirements (for example, course work, milestones, and thesis research), graduate students may fall under the categories of both student and researcher as outlined in the Guidance by Role for Western University.
Students
You have an obligation to act with academic integrity and abide by the syllabus for each course, and the expectations for each milestone, including the thesis or major project, within your graduate degree program. This obligation applies regardless of the physical or virtual location of graduate program activities.
For course work, the use of generative AI must abide by the course learning activities and policies, as outlined in the syllabus. Where you are uncertain, ask your course instructor for guidance.
For research, scholarship, and creative activities, the use of generative AI should be discussed with the supervisor(s) and supervisory committee. Any plan for the use of generative AI must follow the Principles of Use outlined above and must be reviewed as necessary to ensure ongoing adherence to these principles. Description and disclosure of the use of generative AI in research methods, scholarship, and creative activities should be consistent with the requirements of the discipline(s) or field(s) of study. Where you are uncertain, ask your supervisor(s), supervisory committee, or graduate program chair (or equivalent) for guidance.
Researchers
The use of AI in primary research, scholarship, and creative activities is governed by the same policies and regulations that govern non-AI-assisted research at Western. Graduate student researchers are expected to abide by the policies governing responsible conduct of research at Western. Researchers must also abide by any policies or guidance regarding the use, and disclosure of use, of generative AI provided by the agencies, organizations, foundations, and companies which fund their research. This requirement also applies to graduate scholarship and award applications. When disseminating their findings, researchers must abide by the policies of event organizers and publishers regarding disclosure of generative AI use.
Video Summary of Provisional Guidance for Generative AI
Generative AI in Graduate Studies FAQ
When viewing the responses below, it is important to keep in mind that any plan for use of generative AI in thesis work should be discussed with your supervisor(s) and supervisory committee, and must follow the Principles of Use outlined above. For the use of generative AI in course work or milestones, ask your course instructor or graduate program chair (or equivalent) for guidance, as appropriate.
Which generative AI chatbot should I use?
Please refer to Western's "AI at Western" site and the page - Which generative AI chatbot should I use?
Can I use generative AI to help generate ideas for developing a thesis topic?
Considerations for using generative AI to assist in developing a thesis topic include your responsibilities to understand the limitations and potential consequences of the AI tools and applications that are used, and to understand who owns the output produced by generative AI. Regardless of generative AI use, you are expected to think through your central research problem, scholarship, or creative endeavour yourself. You must be prepared to defend all aspects of your work, including those produced using generative AI.
Can I use generative AI to help with analyses of my data sets or creating data visualizations for my thesis?
A key consideration for using generative AI to analyze data sets or create visuals is that personal data and unpublished research data should be adequately protected, to ensure no infringement upon individuals' privacy rights and to respect intellectual property during the process of generative AI use. Description and disclosure of the use of generative AI in research methods, analyses, and presentations should be consistent with the requirements of the discipline or field of study.
Do I need to acknowledge in my thesis the use of generative AI for editing, or suggesting text, or drafting an earlier version?
Description and disclosure of the use of generative AI in scholarly activities, including preparation of the written thesis, should be consistent with the requirements of the discipline or field of study. An important consideration for using generative AI to edit or to assist with drafting a thesis is that unpublished research data and concepts should be adequately protected, to respect intellectual property during generative AI use.
Can I use generative AI to edit my thesis?
A particular consideration for using generative AI to edit a thesis is that unpublished research data and concepts should be adequately protected, to respect intellectual property during the process of generative AI use.
Who do I ask about using generative AI for preparing my comprehensive exam?
You have an obligation to act with academic integrity and abide by the expectations for each milestone, including the comprehensive exam (or equivalent), within your graduate degree program. Where you are uncertain, ask your graduate program chair (or equivalent) for guidance.
