Generative AI & Academic Use

Welcome to your guide on Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Academic Use. This guide is curated by librarians across multiple divisions of the UCSB Library and will evolve as best practices and policies about these tools develop. Through the lens of Library and Information Science, this resource is meant to advance your AI literacy skills, including how to evaluate AI tools and how to safely and responsibly use them in your work.

On the Home page, you can find a menu to navigate between topics that will provide you with information on how to use GenAI as a tool in your academic research, AI terminology, ethical concerns, and academic policy. For those brand new to AI, be sure to take a glance at the Introduction to AI page for short videos explaining AI and Generative AI (GenAI) along with other primers on the topic!

A Note on the UCSB Library Approach to Generative AI

This guide is informed by library values, summarized by in the following quote, excerpted from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' "Entry point to Libraries and AI":

"Library values and ethics are highly relevant to the responsible use of AI in society. They seek to promote equal access to knowledge for all and the right to free expression. They argue for openness and accountability and yet also respect individual privacy, organisational confidentiality, and intellectual property rights."

Please contact your subject librarian to discuss your Generative AI Literacy questions. If you have any questions or suggestions related to this guide, please contact teaching&learning@library.ucsb.edu. 

The UCSB Information Technology Council AI Subcommittee has published Guidelines for AI use (see link below). We would like to offer the following general guidance.

Coursework

Students, before using AI in your assignments, please check your syllabus for any policy your professor may have included. If you have any questions about whether your use of AI is acceptable to your professor, please check with them.

Research

Researchers, if you are considering using GenAI in your original research, please be aware that many publishers and funding agencies have policies that prohibit the use of GenAI. Please check with the appropriate organization and follow their guidance.