AI Literacy

Why do I need to learn this?

With the rapid development of generative AI, or generative artificial intelligence, since the end of 2022, tools using Large Language Models or generative art have become freely available and offer images and text which students may want to use in their study and their assignments. You may also find they are increasingly used in the workplace and need to be prepared for that.

It is important to grasp how these AI tools work in order to avoid any possibility of plagiarism. It is also important to understand whether it is ethical to use them at all for a variety of reasons.

These pages will help you:

recognize AI in the world around you and have an appreciation of its impact;
recognize different kinds of AIs;
understand how AI works at a basic level and how much intelligence AI has;
understand AIs’ strengths and weaknesses;
better develop your prompt engineering;
consider various ethical issues such as hallucinations, bias, accountability, transparency, and reasonable academic use.

See also our Library Guide on Using Generative AI in coursework or research:

Understanding AI Basics

AI in Practice

Ethical Considerations

Developing AI Literacy

Resources and Further Learning

Referencing work which uses generative AI

Test Your Knowledge

The Future of AI

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Whatever your views on using generative AI in education or the ethics of using it at all, it is clear that such tools have arrived and are not going to go away. They are only going to become more common in the workplace, in education and in the day-to-day technology we use and carry with us. They are likely to become more powerful and ever more convincing. Authenticity will become critical. Assessing how trustworthy results are will be paramount - this is particularly true in an education environment where your marks may depend on it.

Just as we’ve become more and more dependent on having ‘always on’ internet connections, it is likely we will become more and more dependent on AI ‘assistants’ of one kind or another. This has implications for degrading our trust in authority and potential malicious attacks from bad actors. Consider the issues around deep fakes or the problems that the British Library and various schools and universities have had in the face of cyberattacks taking down their infrastructure – from payroll databases to door locks. However, the positive uses in, for example, healthcare (drug modelling, simulating biological processes, personalised treatment plans) or as personal tutors (advising and guiding or making education more accessible globally) could lead to significant advancements in enhancing life and learning.

Given the above, it becomes important for everyone to become AI literate and to know what to use, when to use it and how to use it wisely. It is also important for us to be aware of what policy makers are allowing or restricting with regard to AI and to lobby for better practice. Understanding the future implications of AI models is crucial. These pages are merely a start and we would encourage Library users to stay curious and stay engaged in AI developments in a rapidly evolving landscape.