U.S. Department of Education's Student Information Center and Major U.S. Universities Release Guidance on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

The U.S. Department of Education's Student Information Center, in collaboration with several leading U.S. universities, recently released Guidelines for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. These guidelines provide regulatory direction for educational institutions, educators, students, and related industries to ensure the effective use of generative AI technologies in academic and practice settings. The goal is to promote the responsible use of AI tools in education while encouraging innovation and maintaining ethical standards and academic integrity.

 

As generative AI technologies (e.g., tools such as ChatGPT) rapidly evolve and become increasingly prevalent in education, research, and innovation, their use presents both great opportunities and challenges. The technology has the potential to improve learning and foster creative thinking, but it also raises concerns about academic ethics, data privacy, and misuse. To address these concerns, the U.S. Department of Education's Student Information Center and partner universities have developed these guidelines to create a framework for the transparent, safe, and trusted use of AI.

 

Key elements of the guidelines include:

 

Encouraging innovation and creativity Encouraging

the use of generative AI as an aid for students and educators to expand creative thinking, foster innovative projects, and improve problem-solving skills. However, AI should not replace human thought processes, but should be used as a tool to help users accomplish tasks more effectively.

 

Maintaining Academic Integrity

To prevent academic misconduct, the guidelines emphasize the need for students to explicitly acknowledge which parts of their assignments are generated by AI and to avoid passing off AI-generated content as their own work. The University will introduce transparency requirements in policies related to the use of AI and establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure academic integrity.

 

Protecting data privacy and security

The guidelines reiterate the obligations of students and educational institutions to protect data privacy when using generative AI and to ensure that sensitive information is not compromised or misused. The University will assist in the development of privacy policies to ensure the safe use of AI tools.

 

Ethics and Fairness

The University emphasizes that the use of generative AI must adhere to ethical standards and avoid bias, discrimination, or dissemination of misinformation. Educational institutions will provide training for students and educators to ensure fairness and diversity in AI applications.

 

Practical application examples

The guide also covers best practices for AI in education, covering a range of scenarios from aiding teaching and learning to supporting research. These use cases help educators understand how to effectively integrate AI into classroom and research activities to improve student learning outcomes.

 

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education's Student Information Center said, “Generative AI offers unprecedented opportunities for the education industry, but we must ensure that its use is responsible and does not compromise academic integrity or personal privacy. Our work with universities aims to provide clear guidelines for educators and students to promote innovation and advancement of AI in education.”

 

Going forward, the MOE plans to continue working with universities to update the Guidelines for Generating Artificial Intelligence Usage to meet the evolving needs of the technology. In addition, the MOE will organize regular AI-related seminars and training courses to ensure that the education sector is up-to-date and equipped with the latest technology.