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Artificial Intelligence: For Students

Can You Use AI for Coursework?

Always check the course syllabus or speak with your instructor to determine the extent to which you can and should use generative AI in completing your coursework.  

Grounded vs. Not Grounded Tools

Since there are so many generative AI tools these days, it can be difficult to decide which one to use for a particular task. A helpful way to think about this is to look at whether the tool is grounded in a source of facts.

Grounded: uses web or other search results (such as Semantic Scholar) and training data

Not grounded: relies on training data.

Tools in the box below will be marked (g) if they are grounded and (ng) if they are not grounded. If it is not apparent from the documentation whether the tool is grounded or not, they will be marked (unclear if g/ng).

ChatGPT may be grounded or ungrounded depending on the model you are using. 

Text adapted from Which AI Tool for Your Task? by University of Arizona Libraries, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License Creative Commons

AI Uses and Tools

Below are just a few ways that AI might be helpful to your work as a student. Click through the tabs to learn specific uses and specialized tools.

  • Ask for keywords to research a topic 
  • Check the tone of something you wrote 
  • Find information on a topic that you want to learn more about
  • Generate test prep questions 
  • Summarize complex content or notes 
  • Create an outline for a poster session 
  • Perform data analysis 
  • Compose a shorter blog or social media post based on longer text 
  • Career coaching (e.g. "Act as an interviewer for [job])  

General AI Tools

  • ChatGPT - Chatbot from OpenAI. (see note in box above)
  • Claude.ai - Chatbot from Anthropic. (ng)
  • Copilot - Chatbot from Microsoft. (g)
  • Gemini - Chatbot from Google. (g)
  • Perplexity.ai - A chatbot with the ability to display the source of the information it provides. (g)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

AI chatbots and similar tools can be good for:

  • Getting quick background information on a new topic
    • In other words, as a starting point for inquiry rather than something you consult later in the research process
  • Brainstorming in preparation for an assignment or overcoming writer's block
    • Use generative AI as a sounding board to bounce ideas, using iterative, conversational prompting to develop your own thinking (kind of like talking to a peer or a tutor)
    • Ask AI tools to generate lists of topics, keywords, and search strings
  • Considering a topic from new angles or perspectives
    • Generative AI can be an excellent way to develop a more nuanced understanding of a topic you're interested in or come up with new and exciting dimensions to your research you hadn't previously considered
    • In other words, it can be an inspiration for taking your own work in new directions!

Tools for Brainstorming Topics and Keywords

  • ChatGPT - Chatbot from OpenAI. (see note in box above)
  • Claude.ai - Chatbot from Anthropic. (ng)
  • Copilot - Chatbot from Microsoft. (g)
  • Gemini - Chatbot from Google. (g)
  • HuggingChat - Open-source AI chatbot. (ng)
  • Meta AI - Chatbot from Meta. (g)
  • Open Knowledge Maps - Enhances the discovery and visibility of scientific research with a visual interface for exploring topics. (g)
  • Perplexity.ai - A chatbot with the ability to display the source of the information it provides. (g)
  • Socratic - AI-powered app comes directly from Google, focusing on math and science. (g)
  • Wolfram Alpha - Uses algorithms, knowledge base, and AI to provide information on math, science, technology, society, and culture. (g)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

Text adapted from "How to use AI Tools" by University of Rhode Island under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License Creative Commons

Some AI tools are built to help you organize your research and find related sources. You can use these tools to assist with literature reviews by:

  • Storing your documents and creating citations for them
  • Comparing content across sources
  • Mapping out related literature and citations
  • Discovering new sources

Tools for Literature Reviews

  • Connected Papers  - A visual tool to help researchers and applied scientists find and explore papers relevant to their field of work. (g)
  • Consensus - AI-powered academic search engine. (g)
  • Elicit.com - Main workflow is Literature Reviews by asking a research question or use tasks to brainstorm. Open Access content only. (g)
  • Inciteful - Tools that allow you to build a network of papers from citations and visualize connections between literature. (g)
  • LitMaps - Creates interactive literature maps. (g)
  • Petal - Document analysis platform that allows you to create a research library. (g)
  • Research Rabbit - A tool for exploring new areas and writing literature reviews. (g)
  • SciSpace - Research and document analysis from a repository of 270 million + papers. You can also upload your own documents. (g)
  • scite - A platform for discovering and evaluating scientific articles via Smart Citations. (g)
  • Semantic Scholar - AI-powered research tool for scientific literature. (g)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

Some AI tools can assist with reading comprehension. Certain tools allow you to upload documents or text for analysis, while other tools are built into databases to analyze documents within the database. You can ask these AI tools to:

  • Summarize readings
  • Explain key concepts
  • Answer other questions you might have about the reading
  • Remind you which page number a particular quote you found is on
  • Provide you with questions about the reading so you can test your own comprehension

Keep in mind that some databases have specific restrictions on users uploading content from their site to an AI tool. If you are attempting to upload an article or text to an AI tool, double check any fine print policy from the database or check with a librarian if you have any questions or concerns.

It is important to remember that these tools are not reading or understanding the documents that you give them, and the summary will be influenced by the dataset that the AI tool was trained on. Before using an AI tool in this way, try testing it with some readings that you know and understand very well to get a sense of the quality of the summary.

Source: Information Discovery with AI - Generative Artificial Intelligence - Library Guides at Brown University

Tools for Text Analysis and Reading Comprehension

  • ChatPDF -  Document analysis platform that responds to prompts such as summarizing, priority listing and analysis approaches. (ng)
  • Elicit.com -  Main workflow is Literature Reviews by asking a research question or use tasks to brainstorm. Open Access content only. (g)
  • Glasp - A social web highlighter to highlight and organize quotes and ideas from the web without switching back and forth. (g)
  • Mapify - AI tool that creates mind maps of imported text, image, and audio content, including PDFs, websites, and videos. (g)
  • NotebookLM - Research assistant AI tool powered by Google's Gemini. (g)
  • Petal - Document analysis platform that allows you to create a research library. (ng)
  • Scholarcy - Summarizes articles. (g)
  • SciSpace - Research and document analysis from a repository of 270 million + papers. You can also upload your own documents. (g)
  • Quillbot - AI writing platform that includes a grammar-checker, summarizer, citation-generator, and translator, among other tools. (ng)
  • Writesonic - AI platform that includes multiple tools, such as the Chatsonic chatbot and the Botsonic AI builder. (g)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

Certain tools may be helpful with notetaking and/or studying. You can ask these tools to:

  • Summarize your notes for you 
  • Turn your notes into tables, graphs, or other formats
  • Quiz you with questions based on your class notes or study guide
  • Map out ideas
  • Transcribe recordings (always ask permission before recording a lecture) 

Source: Use of generative AI tools to support learning | University of Oxford

Tools for Notetaking and Studying:

  • Caktus - AI-powered writing tool and study assistant. (g)
  • ChatGPT - Chatbot from OpenAI. (see note in box above)
  • Claude.ai - Chatbot from Anthropic. (ng)
  • CreatelyViz - Collaborative AI-powered visualization tool. (unclear if g/ng)
  • Copilot - Chatbot from Microsoft. (g)
  • Gemini - Chatbot from Google. (g)
  • GitMind - AI-powered collaborative mind mapping tool. (unclear if g/ng)
  • Mapify - AI tool that creates mind maps of imported text, image, and audio content, including PDFs, websites, and videos. (g)
  • Otter.ai - Get transcripts of meetings, automated summaries, and action items. Use Otter's chatbot to get answers from your meetings. (ng)
  • XMind AI - AI-powered brainstorming and mind mapping tool. (unclear if g/ng)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

You can use AI tools for different steps of the writing process, including generation, drafting, and editing. You can ask AI tools to:

  • Assist in generating research topics, questions, or keywords
  • Help you create a timeline for the writing process
  • Create a mind map of your ideas using AI tools
  • Give feedback on your thesis or outline structure
  • Create an outline for the assignment and fill it out yourself
  • Write a draft and change it to fit your own voice, style, and perspective
  • Provide an AI chatbot or writing tool with the prompt for the assignment, then input what you've drafted.
  • Give feedback on areas where you can improve, or if the AI has any other critiques or suggestions for where you can make changes.

Using CLEAR prompts can assist in honing your overall writing and communication skills. Always be sure to evaluate content and sources generated by AI tools. 

Tools for Writing Tasks

  • ChatGPT - Chatbot from OpenAI. (see note in box above)
  • Claude.ai - Chatbot from Anthropic. (ng)
  • Grammarly - Writing assistant with AI embedded guidance. (unclear if g/ng)
  • Poe - Chatbot platform that allows you to have conversation with a variety of popular AI chatbots. (depends on models used)
  • You.com - AI chatbot that allows for different levels of conversation through modes. (g)
  • Writesonic - AI platform that includes multiple tools, such as the Chatsonic chatbot and the Botsonic AI builder. (g)
  • Quillbot - AI writing platform that includes a grammar-checker, summarizer, citation-generator, and translator, among other tools. (ng)
  • Ryter - AI writing assistant. (unclear if g/ng)
  • MoonBeam - AI writing assistant focused on long-form content. (unclear if g/ng)
  • WriteMapper - AI-powered writing tool that uses mind maps to help make writing more efficient. (unclear if g/ng)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

You can ask AI to have a conversation with you in another language or give you feedback on your language skills. AI can have biases towards certain languages like English, so double-check any translations in an alternate source. 

Source: Use of generative AI tools to support learning | University of Oxford

Tools for Language Learning and Translation

  • Quillbot - AI writing platform that includes a grammar-checker, summarizer, citation-generator, and translator, among other tools. (ng)
  • Elsa - An AI-powered language-learning application that analyzes speech and then creates a set of user assignments. Elsa is available for iOS and Android devices. (unclear if g/ng)

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

If you are interested in creating images, music, or other media with assistance from AI tools, check out this tutorial from the University of Arizona to learn the basics of multimedia generation.  

Be mindful of ethical issues that can arise with using AI for creative work. Learn more about Deepfakes, recognizing AI-generated images, bias, and copyright.

Tools for Generating or Editing Images

  • Adobe Firefly - Text-to-image generator and generative fill editor.
  • Copilot - Chatbot from Microsoft with image creation available in the Designer GPT. 
  • Craiyon - Online image creator from text. Formerly DALL-E Mini.
  • Gemini - Text-to-image generator 
  • Meta AI - Text-to-image generator, also known as "Imagine"
  • Midjourney - Text-to-image creator using LLM and diffusion models.
  • Photoleap - AI photo editing app. 
  • Stable Diffusion - Text-to-image diffusion model capable of generating photo-realistic images from text input.
  • StarryAI - Text-to-image generator
  • Canva, Adobe Photoshop, and the Windows 11 version of Microsoft Paint all have AI image generation features

Tools for Generating and Editing Video

  • HeyGen - AI tools for avatar video creation, video translation, and more. 
  • Kaiber.AI - AI creative lab made by artists.
  • Kling AI - Generative AI creative studio.
  • Pika Labs - Text-to-video generator.
  • Runway ML - A variety of text-to-image, text-to-video, image-to-image, video-to-video, and other tools. 
  • Synthesia - Text-to-video generator with avatar and voiceover capabilities. 

Tools for Generating and Editing Music

  • Beatoven.ai - Create music for your video using royalty free content.
  • Suno - Text-to-music generation.
  • Udio - Text-to-music generation.

Note: All of the tools linked above are experimental and under development and have not been evaluated by Iona University Libraries. Functionality, fee for use, and access may change at any time. Please review tool documentation for privacy and data security.

AI Use Checklist

Make sure you can answer “yes” to these questions to ensure responsible use of AI. 

Before you start

❏ My school and my professor allow the use of the AI tools I’m considering for this assignment

❏ I clearly understand when and how I can use AI for this assignment

Doing the work

❏ I am using my own thoughts, words and tone of voice

❏ I have checked sources generated by AI and properly cited any facts, statistics or quotes

❏ I have critically analyzed the AI output and identified any false, biased or harmful information

❏ I have documented where and how I used AI and cited that use according to my professor’s expectations

❏ I have not used confidential, protected or copyrighted information

When the assignment is complete

❏ I can explain my findings and demonstrate full understanding without the aid of AI

❏ I can prove what sources I used and how I verified the information

 

Text from "A student guide to navigating college in the artificial intelligence era" by Elon University under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License Creative Commons

Chatbots vs. Search Engines

AI chatbots are not search engines. Search engines find information, AI generates information. However, multiple search engines, including Google and Bing, incorporate generative AI results into their regular search results. Google uses Gemini to develop "AI Overviews," while Bing uses Copilot to create similar search result summaries. You may see these summaries at the top or the side of a search result panel and may have already used them when browsing online. You should treat these summaries as you would any information from a chatbot, taking steps to evaluate as needed.

What's the difference between Chatbots and search engines?

"Search engines retrieve text that already exists and connect users to it, while generative chatbots create new text based on highly complex language models that attempt to provide the most likely sequence of words based on the information it has been trained on" (Information Discovery with AI - Generative Artificial Intelligence - Library Guides at Brown University).

Will AI provide more information than a search engine?

Neither chatbots nor search engines have access to the full text of all the information in the world. Some firewall-protected information may only be accessible in places like our library databases. 

Can chatbots ever connect to the internet?

While some chatbots are connected to the live internet, their algorithms function differently than typical search engines, and they "can still have 'hallucinations' and deliver false information. These systems frequently generate responses that contain unsupported statements and inaccurate citations. And, of course, the Internet itself is full of false or biased information" (Information Discovery with AI - Generative Artificial Intelligence - Library Guides at Brown University).

AI research search tools

There are certain AI tools that are more similar to search engines (e.g. Consensus, Elicit, or database search tools) but many of the popular tools you may come across when seeking information should be approached differently.

Keep AI Tool Limitations in Mind

Use caution when...

  • Asking for a list of sources for research (you may end up with a bunch of sources that sound great, but don't really exist)
  • Generating a list of prominent researchers or thinkers in a particular field (you may get output with a gender or racial bias, or you might get a list of people that aren't real!)
  • Asking for high-level information you don't have the expertise to evaluate (because AI tools can hallucinate, generative AI is a great tool for background information, but you should only ask it questions you have the capacity to fact-check yourself)

Text from "How to use AI Tools" by University of Rhode Island under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License Creative Commons