HONOR SYSTEM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND STANCE ON GENERATIVE AI
The Honor Committee recognizes that generative artificial intelligence poses new, unanswered questions and concerns about academic integrity at the University. The Committee is also aware of the potential benefits – and uncertainties – of AI, academic or otherwise. In many ways, AI is the “internet” of our generation and has the potential to transform our lives. Honor understands it must respond accordingly. The Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) has been hard at work to address AI-related concerns and fully understand the potential benefits and risks of AI in both academic settings and our Community of Trust. AI usage is growing at the University; we expect this trend to continue as increasingly capable AI becomes more readily available. Honor’s approach to AI will be open-minded, community-based, and thoughtful.
To ensure the integrity of our Community of Trust, Honor is taking the following approach:
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The Faculty Advisory Committee has been in conversation with the Provost, Academic Deans, senior administrators, and faculty of each school at the University. Our goal in these conversations has been to understand the potential benefits, risks, and uses of AI in each school’s unique academic setting. We are also identifying certain common AI uses/concerns in each school (e.g., using debugging AI in the School of Engineering, or generating an essay in the College).
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FAC has created new templates faculty may use to communicate their course’s Honor policy in their syllabi. These include a new section for AI use; faculty are provided space to list specific (but not necessarily comprehensive) acceptable and unacceptable AI uses for each of their courses.
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We are planning community events directed towards students and faculty to:
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Communicate Honor’s approach to AI, particularly in the multi-sanction system
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Ideate potentially constructive uses of AI in University courses and new assignment and exam designs
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Communicate how reporting AI-related Honor Offenses should occur.
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Honor Support Officers are working to understand how AI-related evidence may be presented in Honor Hearings, including considering the reliability of AI detection tools and the standard of proof necessary for AI-related evidence. FAC is also working to understand how citing an AI might be handled in an academic setting.
Generative AI represents a new and evolving era in academics. Honor will have to adjust to that new era, and aims to do so in an educated, balanced, and communicative way. We encourage all members of the Academic Division to consult the AI Task Force Report from the Provost Office for further guidance. Additionally, we encourage all faculty and students to visit the FAQs about Artificial Intelligence by the Provost Office for additional guidance. We welcome community input at our Committee meetings and upcoming public events. Questions regarding AI and Honor should be directed to the Faculty Advisory Committee Chair Brianna Kamdoum, [email protected].