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Considerations for using generative AI

Here you will find guidelines for the use of generative AI, adapted for teachers at KTH based on guidelines from DIGG (the Swedish Agency for Digital Government) and the EU Commission. This page also includes education-specific examples to clarify how you as a teacher can meet legal requirements and behave ethically when using generative AI.

Guidelines 

You are recommended to use these guidelines as a basis for your use of generative AI as they will help you use generative AI ethically and legally. The guidelines are based on DIGG's guidelines for generative AI in public administration, but adapted by E-learning to be more relevant for teachers at KTH. We have also included some information from the EU Commission's ethical guidelines for the use of AI in education. You can find more information and links to this after the guidelines, under the heading "Further reading".

The guidelines are as follows: 

  1. Only use generative AI when it is relevant and appropriate. 
  2. Have a human-centric and respectful approach to generative AI. 
  3. Work critically and with human review (“human-in-the-loop"). 
  4. Take GDPR and copyright into account. 
  5. Be transparent about how you use generative AI. 

More details on how to meet these guidelines can be found under the following headings. 

1. Only use generative AI when relevant and appropriate 

Before you start using generative AI, you should ask yourself the most basic question ("Question zero"): what are you really trying to accomplish? And as a follow-up question: is generative AI the best way to achieve what you're trying to accomplish? 

Choose from other tools 

Only use generative AI when generative AI is needed. There are many other tools that can be more suitable and energy-efficient for specific tasks. 

For example:  

  • Search engines. 
  • Existing templates. 
  • Spell checker. 
  • Image banks.  

Weigh desired effects against potential undesirables 

Consider the potentially undesirable effects that may result from using generative and weigh them against the positive, desired effects.  

Examples of possible undesirable effects:  

  • Reduced collaboration with colleagues as generative AI is used as a sounding board instead. 
  • That your unique way of expressing yourself is washed out of your texts.  

Assess the impact on learning 

You need to assess how the possible use of generative AI in your course can affect learning and thus the fulfilment of the intended learning outcomes. Based on this, write course-specific information aimed at the students about the acceptable use of generative AI, read more on the page KTH's templates for course-specific information on generative AI .

Tip! Encourage students to use generative AI in the same way as they are allowed to do in exams, so they are properly prepared.

2. Have a human-centric and respectful approach to generative AI 

You should take a human-centric approach to generative AI, that is, you use generative AI so that you respect the identity, privacy, and dignity of people. In education, this means, among other things, what is covered under the following headings. 

Ensure students retain and develop skills 

Generative AI can perform tasks that students would otherwise need to develop skills to complete, which may put them at a disadvantage in the future. Ensure that students are given the opportunity to practice the skills that generative AI performs for them.  

Examples of skills:  

  • To develop your own voice in writing by writing without AI. 
  • Setting up and solving problems on your own. 
  • Picking out what is important enough to include in a summary. 

Fair treatment and equal opportunities 

Different versions of generative AI tools can produce different results. There is a particularly big difference between free and paid versions, which can lead to students who can afford to pay for the license getting an unfair advantage. You should do what you can to give all students an equal opportunity to use generative AI tools in your course.  

Examples of ways to get fairer use: 

  • Only allow the use of generative AI for tasks where the versions produce similar results or don't have a major impact on the end result. Like the translation of single sentences or other simple tasks. 
  • Specify which versions of generative AI tools are allowed to be used. 
  • Give access to the paid version of a generative AI tool to everyone in the course. For example, one license per student or have a few licenses that students can borrow when needed.  

Listen to and involve the students 

Give students the opportunity to influence what is considered acceptable use of generative AI in the course. Students have different perspectives and opinions that can give you new insights and students are more likely to follow rules they have been allowed to influence. 

How you can do this is handled on the page How to talk to your students about generative AI . 

3. Work critically and with human review (“human-in-the-loop")  

If you use a generative AI tool, you should use it as an assistant that supports you in your work, not as an expert on any topic. The tool may be missing important details or creating false information (called "hallucinating"). You are the one responsible for all decisions and assessments of what is appropriate and correct, and you also have empathy and social skills that the tool lacks. 

For example: 

  • Include diversity and different points of view in your prompt (instruction). 
  • Always end with human review and correction of the result. For example, correct: 
    • misinformation (hallucinations) 
    • prejudice 
    • distortion of facts. 

Tip! Feel free to edit the AI-generated result to put your spin on it, for example to get your voice into a text. It also helps you meet certain legal requirements, read more on the page Legal aspects of generative AI . 

Please read the Terms of Use carefully 

All generative AI tools have terms of use that may limit or otherwise affect how you may use the material that is created. Always read the terms of service before using a generative AI tool. 

4. Take GDPR and copyright into account 

GDPR and copyright are two laws that directly affect what you are allowed to include in your prompt to a generative AI tool. The following two lists explain how to most easily take GDPR and copyright into account when using generative AI. 

GDPR: 

Copyright: 

  • Material created by generative AI is not copyrighted. 
  • Avoid creating material that may infringe copyright. For example, by avoiding creating images in a specific artist's style. 
  • Exclude copyrighted material from your prompts or get permission from the copyright owner before using it. 

More details can be found on page Legal aspects of generative AI . 

5. Be transparent about how you use generative AI 

Tell us when you use generative AI in your own material, preferably also how and why. This way, you show your students how to use AI in an honest way and you also build trust with students and colleagues. 

Also be open about when you intend to use generative AI on the students' material and give them the opportunity to refrain from using it. A student should be able to refrain from using generative AI without it affecting their grade, except if the use of generative AI is mandatory to complete the course. 

Further reading 

We have adapted existing legal and ethical guidelines to better suit teachers at KTH. We have used: