Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Emerging generative AI tools have (rightfully!) prompted many questions about plagiarism in academic institutions. Most of these questions are not new ones, but AI is prompting individuals and institutions anew to reexamine current practices and definitions surrounding plagiarism.

How do I prevent plagiarism in my classes?

From an information literacy perspective, a blanket ban on AI tools is not an effective strategy for preventing plagiarism in your courses or for preparing students to enter an AI-integrated society. The best way to prevent misuse of AI tools is to maintain an open dialogue with your students and demonstrate/guide appropriate use. When you do not allow use of AI, be clear about your reasoning and consider making adjustments to your lessons or assignments to encourage engagement with the process, rather than the product.

Keeping up with AI tools and trends can feel like a Sisyphean task, particularly when it comes to evaluating and assessing student work. While there are currently no campus-wide policies in place governing the use of AI, UM's Student Code of Conduct now includes the use of generative AI in its definition of plagiarism.

UM does not subscribe to any plagiarism detection software, and there are currently few--if any--reliable tools for detecting the use of generative AI in student assignments. Studies have shown that AI plagiarism detection tools regularly produce false positives and negatives; enact bias against non-native English speakers; and are not transparent in their methodology in determining what they suspect is AI-generated writing.