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Internal Research Awards Guidance on the Use of Generative AI

Generative AI Guidance

Ohio University Internal Research Awards Guidance on the Use of Generative AI 

(Updated 10/3/2023)

Introduction 

This guidance outlines the guidelines and constraints governing the utilization of Generative AI, such as ChatGPT and Google Bard, in proposals and reviews submitted for internal awards administered by Ohio University's Research Division. The primary objective of this policy is to ensure the ethical and transparent integration of Generative AI, safeguarding the integrity of the proposal submission and review process.

Concerns with Generative AI in Proposal Generation 

Generative AI presents certain challenges and concerns when employed in proposal generation, including:

  1. Risk of Plagiarism: Generative AI may inadvertently produce text containing plagiarized content due to its extensive training corpus and obscured mappings within the language model, making plagiarism difficult to detect.
  2. Factual Accuracy: Generative AI can generate text containing inaccurate or fictitious information. Proposals may unknowingly incorporate false information without thorough analysis. 
  3. Citation Deficiency: Generative AI often fails to provide proper citations for referenced sources, as the model's learned content mappings are not explicitly revealed.
  4. Data Incorporation: Generative AI may assimilate novel ideas from proposals into its database, potentially using such information to generate content for other users.

Allowable Uses for Generative AI in Proposal Preparation 

Ohio University acknowledges the potential benefits and challenges of employing generative AI in proposal preparation. Therefore, the following guidelines are established: 

  1. No Limitation: There will be no limitations on the use of generative AI in the preparation of proposals for internal awards. Researchers are free to utilize Generative AI tools as they see deem appropriate. 
  2. Equal Evaluation: All proposals, whether or not they incorporate generative AI, will be evaluated on a level playing field. The use of generative AI will not impact the success of any proposal. 
  3. Post-Evaluation Disclosure Requirement: After the proposal evaluation process, all submitters will be requested to provide a statement detailing how they utilized generative AI in their proposal. This information will be collected solely for research and understanding purposes, without affecting proposal outcomes. It will assist the Research Division in better comprehending the ways in which our researchers and artists are integrating AI into their work.

This guidance aims to strike a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring the ethical and responsible use of Generative AI in the pursuit of research and creative excellence at Ohio University. Grant applicants are encouraged to exercise transparency and due diligence when employing generative AI in proposal development.