• Jump start your creative process by using AI to brainstorm.

• Drafting outlines to organize thoughts

• Collecting common ideas/arguments (pre-2021 for most AI) or providing background knowledge (though currently, Wikipedia is more reliable and has  more accurate vetted citations - which feels like a crazy claim - but it's true)

• Checking grammar and style, etc./improving your writing

Potential Best Practices: Mentally prepare an argument for the appropriateness of the use of AI in the case you used it for, as this is the kind of thing we've seen come up in many real-world leadership scenarios right now as people figure out how these tools will change the world of work moving forward. You should have a reason ideally (even if the reason is personal - i.e. you struggle to get started when writing). 

Don't 'copy' OUT of the AI tool, instead, use your interactions as a learning experience to inform your work. If you do 'copy,' be sure to cite the copied text in quotes, because it is a quote of work you did not produce. (This can ensure you don't slide over the ethical line into misconduct.) 

• Use AI in moderation! Over-reliance on AI can hinder independent thinking and creativity. 

• AI is a plagiarism minefield!
  GAI derives its output from previously created texts yet it doesn't cite sources. By it's nature, AI is UNORIGINAL WORK.

• AI makes stuff up!
  GAI has a tendency to make up information to fill in blanks... which means it is your job to verify the output.

• AI is biased!
  GAI reiterates bias and is prone to discriminatory, non-inclusive language  - which means it is your job to address/fix this when it occurs.

Potential Best Practice:
Treat AI-based assistance the same way you treat collaboration with other people - as a tool for understanding that will be influenced by the person's views/biases.  

This type of collaboration with a human would be cited and transparent when used for understanding concepts but is not generally need to be cited for mechanical improvements (refining grammar, citations, etc.). Same for AI collaboration.

Since the world is still figuring AI out, it's very important that people be transparent with regard to their AI use. 

Materials produced by a GAI are from previously published work - though it doesn't cite it for you. Thus, using it without (1) verification, (2) disclosure, and (3) citation can easily be seen as in violation of academic honesty policies and viewed as unethical by others. 

Typically, leadership students do not want to be seen as unethical. Notes on how to cite ChatGPT, which apply to other GAI, can be found in the References section of this page.

Potential Best Practice: Have an AI Acknowledgement Section! Disclose use of any support tools in it inc. Grammarly, Google Docs, GAI, etc. which acknowledge usage and how. Examples: 

• If you copy verbatim from an AI tool, provide a citation and quotation marks, which will indicate that the words used were not your own.

• If you paraphrase an output from an AI tool, provide a citation (but not necessarily quotation marks), indicating that the idea, format, and syntax were not originally your own.

• Other times, include a note at the end of any assignment where you used an AI tool in which you explain what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. Honestly, employers might be impressed by this skill!