Department of Technology and Society Policy for Using Generative AI (GAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs)

The Department of Technology and Society (DTS) has established a policy for the use of Generative AI and Large Language Models (collectively referred to as “AI”) in courses, research, publications, and other academic activities. This policy is aligned with the university’s broader guidelines (posted here) and is tailored to the interdisciplinary nature of DTS where our mission is to explore the intricate interplay between technology and society, fostering a deep understanding of the ethical, social, and cultural implications of technological advancements, and advancing student skills in analysis and communication.

As AI becomes increasingly prevalent and influential, this policy seeks to guide both instructors and students in its responsible use, minimizing academic integrity and ethical challenges. It reflects our department’s commitment to fostering a deep understanding of AI’s transformative potential while promoting ethical use of AI.

This default policy applies to all DTS courses and academic activities, ensuring consistency and clarity in our expectations. It will be reviewed and updated regularly in concert with advancements in AI and its applications. Importantly, this policy focuses on setting guidelines for responsible use of AI tools. And, more importantly, such AI tools are not intended to become replacements for individual student abilities to reason, understand, and explain.

By adhering to this policy, DTS aims to empower its academic community to engage with AI while upholding the department's commitment to ethical and impactful scholarship.

General Rules:

1. AI use must be attributed (e.g., you must cite your AI software and version and the prompts that were used, and the portion of the submittal that is the result of AI use).
2. AI may not be used as a wholesale substitute for the work expected to be that of students: homework solutions, paper summaries, or major course writing (essays and papers).
3. AI should have very limited use in serious academic work (papers, theses, and dissertations) and then only if it is integral to the work itself (e.g., developing LLMs or a thesis on AI itself).
4. AI may be used for brainstorming ideas, for exam preparation, for finding initial information, for generating initial lists of ideas and/or related papers to investigate, and for some image generation.
5. AI may be used to polish text you have written (e.g., like an advanced spell/syntax checker).
6. Whether AI is used or not, students should be able to stand in front of a class, instructors, and/or TAs, and explain their coursework using their own words, whether in an informal seminar or more formally in writing such as an exam.
7. This AI policy must be included in the class website and on the class syllabus.

Individual Instructor and Course Policies:

The seven general rules above are the default DTS AI policy for courses and other department work. All instructors who wish to define their own custom AI policy must publish it on their class website, in syllabi, and/or in assignment documents in accord with Rule 7 above.

For undergraduate courses, prior permission for an individual policy must be received in writing from the UPD.

Instructors of all graduate coursework are urged to discuss individual AI policies with the GPD prior to instituting it.