Generative Artificial intelligence (genAI) is AI that is capable of generating new content such as text and images in response to prompts. Large Language Models (LLM) are a subset of genAI that produce text mirroring human writing. One such model is Copilot (others are ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini).

 Always check your Subject Outline or ask your Subject Coordinator to confirm if you can use GenAI in your assessment. Unauthorised use can result in penalties. Check out the Student Guide to GenAI page to learn more.

You have access to Microsoft Copilot's secure enterprise version while studying at Charles Sturt. This means your data is protected when using the secure version of Copilot via a student account, hence your data isn't retained or used for training the genAI. To find out how to access, head over to Charles Sturt's Microsoft Copilot page. 

Limitations:

• While Copilot is good at following instructions, it may not always capture the full depth or subtle complexities of intricate academic topics. If the responses don’t meet your expectations, consider refining your prompts for better clarity.

• Copilot’s knowledge base is not continuously updated, which means it may lack information on the most recent studies or ongoing events.

• Like any AI system, Copilot may reflect certain biases or inaccuracies present in its training data. As a result, it could produce information that is biased, incorrect, or misleading. It’s crucial to validate the information provided by AI with reliable sources, and to confirm the accuracy of any cited references.

How to use responsibly and ethically:

• Check in your Subject Outline or ask your Subject Coordinator to confirm if you can use GenAI in your assessment.
• Evaluate the content produced for relevance, accuracy and quality.
• If you use information provided by Copilot, verify and cite the original sources appropriately.
• Don't submit AI-generated content as your own work
• Flip the cards below to view the concerns to be aware of when using Copilot and how to manage these:

Use Copilot to:

To get the best possible content from Copilot you need to ask it the right questions and tell it what you want. These are known as prompts (or commands or instructions).

Building prompts means you use inputs to guide content generation whether it’s text, image, audio or a combination output. To write good prompts there are a few things to think about:

Referencing GenAI has been incorporated into the Charles Sturt's APA Referencing Summary and Academic Referencing Tool (ART). The Academic Skills team provide assistance with referencing and you can make an appointment or ask a question on their Academic Skills Adviser forum.