Using generative AI

You should always question generative AI outputs as they can be inaccurate, biased or incomplete.

We recommend that you check information against reliable scholarly sources, and ask yourself whether you think the response is fair, respectful and culturally appropriate.

You should also think about how well the answer meets your purpose. Does it make sense? Is anything missing or oversimplified?

Generative AI predicts patterns; it does not understand, so your judgment and critical thinking are essential. If you notice errors or gaps, refine your prompt and confirm the legitimacy of generated content with other trusted sources.

The quality of an AI-generated response depends on the quality of your question. Be clear and specific, and give enough context examples, or boundaries so the tool understands what you need. Adding detail helps the response stay relevant and focused.

Use instructive phrases such as list, explain in plain language or provide three options with pros and cons. These cues shape the type of answer you receive and make it easier to compare or evaluate the results.

Refine your prompts and experiment with wording, structure or the level of detail. This can lead to stronger, more accurate outputs. The process is iterative, supporting the development of stronger learning and critical thinking skills.

Generative AI can analyse vast amounts of data, identify patterns and generate new content, like summaries, essays or creative works based on what they’ve learned. Because of this, there are important copyright and privacy considerations to keep in mind.

When these tools are trained on, or generate content based on existing works, there’s a risk they may reproduce copyrighted material either directly or without proper attribution. This could lead to unintentional copyright breaches, especially if the generated content closely resembles or copies someone else’s work.

You should always check for copyright issues and ensure you have the right to use text, images or other media in your work. If generative AI informs your work in any way, acknowledge and reference it using Griffith’s referencing guides.

Never submit AI-generated content as your own unless your course instructions explicitly allows it.

Many generative AI tools, especially open or public ones do not guarantee the confidentiality of the information you enter. That means anything you type in could be stored, reused or shared. To protect yourself and others, do not enter:

• your own personal information
• information about others (for example, peers, students or staff)
• course materials (for example, assessment tasks, marking rubrics).

Sharing this kind of information could breach privacy laws, copyright or academic policies.

When you’re signed into your Griffith student account, tools like Microsoft Copilot offer some data protection. However, you should still think carefully before uploading any content.

Using generative AI to help with your studies is not a free pass. Submitting AI-generated work as your own, or sharing restricted materials through these tools can be considered as a breach of academic integrity.

Generative AI can consume large amounts of energy and resources, including electricity, water for data centre cooling and raw materials for hardware, so use it thoughtfully and avoid unnecessary or excessive use.

Balance the convenience of using these tools with ethical responsibility by thinking about whether using them truly adds value to your learning, or simply replaces work you should do yourself.

By using generative AI in mindful ways, you contribute to a culture of fairness and trust, where technology supports, rather than undermines learning.