Introduction

This guide is a very brief overview of Generative AI. Please login to HiQ for important information about the GenAI tools available to use at QUT and how you can use it in your studies, according to the learning requirements of your unit. 

Looking for information about using generative AI in research and teaching? Check out the Generative AI in Research and Teaching guide. 

Technology plays a massive part in being a student and researcher. It connects many aspects of being an active learner and explorer of knowledge. Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that uses machine learning systems to generate text, images, code and other types of content, usually in response to a prompt that has been entered.

This guide provides information about using generative AI tools in an ethical, creative and evaluative way. The main areas covered are: 

Types of generative AI                                 Ethical and evaluative use                          How to use 

Images created using Canva text to image. Prompts used: 
A cute white and white robot looking at a pile of technology objects on the ground including a laptop, ipad, phone, computer keyboard.
A cute small white robot sitting on a pile of philosophy books.
A small cute white robot using a computer at a bank of computers, pink.

Traditional AI is the ability of computers or computer-controlled robots to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligence. Basically, if a human did it, it would be classified as intelligent. Think playing chess or analysis, spotting patterns and making predictions based on huge amounts of data. 

Advancements in AI have led to generative AI or GenAI, where systems using machine learning have been trained using large amounts of data to perform, mimic or imitate tasks. This technology essentially tries to reproduce human behaviour and create new content based on what has been done before, much like predictive text on your phone.

GenAI tools are evolving incredibly quickly and their impact on education and research is significant and ongoing. It has the potential to support any area of study, from creative arts to law or business development. 

There are many different types of GenAI that can create music, art, video, text, code, equations or even a blend of these. The flexibility of these tools provides new ways to create content, explore ideas or synthesise information.  

There are important ethical factors to consider when using generative AI. We explore some of these in this guide.    

Being able to responsibly and ethically use generative AI is dependent on your critical evaluation skills, much like when you evaluate the results from a Google search or academic database. It can be difficult to distinguish between content created by a human and what has been generated by the model. This means critical thinking skills are essential to evaluate the authenticity and accuracy of what has been generated.

QUT's Study Smart course also has a module 'Evaluate' which may be useful in evaluating and analysing information from a ChatGPT or other generative AI models. 

Crediting creators and attributing content is a core part of both academic integrity and of being a digital citizen more broadly. This guide was created by QUT Library based on and using parts of Using generative AI by Deakin University 2023 and licensed under CC BY NC 4.0.