University-wide stance on generative AI

As these technologies and our approach to them continue to evolve, this guidance may be subject to change.

At Kent, we strongly believe that maintaining academic integrity and ethical use of generative AI can be accomplished by fostering an environment where students feel comfortable and confident in asking questions about specific cases of AI use, and can openly discuss the associated challenges without fear of being penalised.

As such, we encourage students to speak to their module convenors about how generative AI could be used in their modules. This will help ensure that the use of AI is aligned with the learning outcomes of the module and that students have a clear understanding of how it can be used to enhance their learning experience.  

Generative AI tools are trained on vast amounts of data. This includes the information you enter when using the tools.  Sharing personal or sensitive data with any generative AI platform has the potential for it to become publicly available. 

It is important that we all take responsibility for using these technologies with care, diligence, and respect for individual privacy. By prioritising these values, we can take advantage of the benefits of generative AI while also maintaining our dedication to data protection and ethical research practices.

This means that generative AI systems can process personal data during their training and testing phases, as well as potentially generating outputs which contain personal data, including sensitive personal data. When using generative AI you need to consider how you protect personal data, are compliant with data protection legislation and minimise the risk of privacy intrusion from the outset

At Kent, when developing and deploying generative AI systems, we always consider the principles of data protection outlined in the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The data protection law applies irrespective of the type of technology used, so its basic principles of compliance will also apply to any generative AI systems. The ICO, which is responsible for regulating compliance with the data protection legislation in the UK, outlines these principles in their guidance.

Staff should refer to the guidance on AI and Data Protection and ensure they complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment and seek advice from the Data Protection Officer before deploying any AI which uses personal data.  

It's important to understand that Artificial Intelligence differs from human intelligence. AI tools don't comprehend the content they generate, nor can they verify its accuracy. These tools are trained on data and rely on pattern recognition to predict what strings of words and sentences should be generated next. 

It's crucial to keep in mind that while the outputs of AI can seem to be well-written and credible, they can also be inaccurate.

The University of Kent is committed to safeguarding the quality and standards of academic degrees, ensuring the value of academic awards earned by students at all levels of study.  

Academic Integrity is a set of values and practices that expect us to act with honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.  

Kent's Academic Integrity pages provide guidance for both students and staff seeking information on Academic Integrity policy and procedures.