About AI
What is Generative AI?
“Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that produces new, original content—including text, images, music, video, or even computer code—based on patterns it has learned from large datasets. Unlike traditional AI systems that mainly classify information or make predictions, generative AI tools create something new in response to a user’s prompt. These systems are powered by large language models (LLMs) and other foundation models trained on vast collections of human communication..
Because generative AI models learn statistical patterns rather than developing true understanding, they can generate fluent and creative responses but may also produce inaccuracies, oversimplifications, or biased content. This is why educational institutions emphasize using these tools critically and responsibly.
ChatGPT is a widely used generative AI tool built on large language models. It is designed to understand prompts and generate human‑like text, making it useful for answering questions, explaining concepts, brainstorming ideas, and engaging in conversation. ChatGPT and similar tools (such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini) are examples of generative AI systems that can support learning when used ethically and with proper attribution.
These tools can help students with tasks like summarizing information, clarifying difficult concepts, or generating ideas—but they must be used with caution, since they can also produce incorrect or misleading information. Universities and Colleges stress that students should evaluate AI‑generated content carefully and follow course‑specific rules about when AI use is permitted.”
| As an illustration, the above content has been generated using ChatGPT and verified for accuracy. |
AI: The Good and the Bad
The Good – Beneficial Uses of AI.
AI can be a valuable tool with many applications and is already being used in our daily lives. It has applications in e-commerce, healthcare, education and technology.
For example:
- It is used in voice assistance and facial recognition tools.
- It can help explain complex subjects and summarize long written works.
- It can help focus your ideas and improve the style of your writing.
- It can write code and be used to debug it.
AI systems are powerful enough to perform a wide variety of practical functions and tasks (examples retrieved from NVIDIA, n.d.; Upshall, 2022
|
Function |
Example of Tools *Note: this is not an exhaustive list. |
|---|---|
|
Generate text from a prompt “Write a paper on the impact of fake news on education” |
ChatGPT CopyAI Jasper |
|
Synthesize information (e.g., summarize a text, create a procedure from multiple sources) |
Scholarcy ChatGPT Quillbot |
|
Create an image or digital illustration from a prompt “A Cubist oil painting of a couple lounging next to a creek” |
DALL·E 2 Midjourney Craiyon Stable Diffusion |
|
Generate computer code (e.g., generate new code from a comment, fix flawed code) |
GitHub Copilot ChatGPT |
|
Translate text “Translate the following text from Turkish to English” |
Google Translate ChatGPT |
|
Enhance productivity in teaching and research by assisting with repetitive tasks such as writing, transcribing and suggesting related resources |
Grammarly [writing support] Web of Science Reviewer Locator [suggests peer reviewers] Transkribus [handwriting transcription for archival documents] Turnitin [text matching] |
"Functions of AI" is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 by Mount Royal University Library.
| There Is An AI For That allows you to search and browse the universe of AI apps that are available. |
The Bad – Notes on the Quality of Generative AI Content for the Researcher
Remember to evaluate the content that is the result of an AI generated prompt (question). AI content can be false, incomplete, or completely made up. It is important users are aware of these issues and have the skills to ensure the materials they are using are accurate and reliable.
- Generative AI responses are based on the data they have been trained to use. If this data has errors, is biased or dated so will the generated response to your prompt (question).
- When a prompt requires discipline specific knowledge and experience, AI may return a response that is incorrect, incomplete or generic due to a lack of exposure to academic resources not included in the training data.
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AI generators are programed using large data sets that may include copyright protected material without credit. Using generated AI content in your own writing may result in your writing not qualifying for copyright and monetization.
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AI uses patterns not logic to return a response to your prompt. It does not check for inconsistencies or truth among the data it presents. AI will sometimes even make up responses – this is known as “hallucination”
When researching a topic, you should always evaluate the information for quality. Keep in mind that not all the information you find online is credible, reliable, or even appropriate for your topic, so it is important to take a closer look at what you are reading. This is even more true for Generative AI content. For academic research the use of actual verifiable information is preferred to AI generated content.