Disclaimer *Always check with your tutor to find out if you are allowed to use A.I. tools in your assignment*
There are many generative A.I tools around which might be able to assist you with your studies. Some can read and 'extract' key points from academic articles. Some can help find academic articles and information for your assignments. Some will help you to plan an essay or a presentation, breaking it down into manageable sections and tasks. Others will simply help you to understand a new subject you are studying.
However, there are some issues which everyone should be aware of before using them or relying upon the information they return. It is important to understand their limitations and not to blindly trust the information they produce.
Bias - Generative A.I is mostly 'trained' using datasets with built-in bias, as they are simply culled from the wider internet. This means that there could be racist, misogynist, ableist or other types of discrimination in the information it returns.
Privacy - Many tools will require you to sign in using your email or Google accounts - this means they have sensitive information of yours going forwards.
Hallucinations - In an effort to provide an answer to the query presented, many A.I. tools will generate 'misinformation' to fill the need. This means that references upon which the answers should be based, are in fact 'hallucinated' or made up, making the information unreliable.
All information provided by A.I. tools should be checked and verified before you use it in your work.
For more on the issues with using A.I tools, please see this information page on Using A.I. Critically.
Disclaimer *Always check with your tutor to find out if you are allowed to use A.I. tools in your assignment*
Help with understanding a new subject -
Perplexity - This tool can be 'questioned' about a subject. For example, use the prompt, "explain cash flow accounting", to learn more about this topic. At the top of the results page, you will notice a list of sources used to answer the question. Always follow these links to check the sources used in the answer it has given. Additionally, use known academic sources (e.g. accountancy textbooks) to further verify this information.
Help with finding journal articles and papers -
Keenious - This can be used to find journal and conference papers by typing in a research question. Alternatively, you can also upload an essay you have written and it will look at the content and suggest other papers which may be related to your topic. UEL has a subscription to this tool so you will see the logo when you open a Word document using your university account. Click here for more information on using Keenious.
Help with 'reading' and extracting information from articles -
Humata - Upload a PDF of an article you have found and then use Humata to find answers to questions you have about the content.
Help with planning an essay or presentation -
Goblin.tools - Type in your request, e.g. plan an essay on..., and Goblin will break your task down into manageable chunks. It can also estimate how long each task will take.
There are many other tools out there to explore but always remember to check where the information being provided is actually coming from, and verify it using trusted means. Also, take note of the privacy notice on each site to make sure your sensitive information will not be abused.
Disclaimer *Always check with your tutor to find out if you are allowed to use A.I. tools in your assignment*
If you have been given permission to use A.I. tools in your work, use this page of Cite Them Right online to find the best way to reference them in your assignment. Remember to choose the correct style, e.g. Harvard or OSCOLA, depending upon the requirements of your School.
For more information and help with referencing, please see the Academic Tutoring team.