As generative AI tools are quickly becoming widely available, better, and easier to use, we believe that it is important and timely to discuss their intersection with the blog. While the rise of these technologies leave many ethical and policy questions to be addressed, we anticipate the eventual adoption of these tools throughout society, making the ability to use these tools and acquire meaningful outputs a valuable skill.
While the acceptance of generative AI may be inevitable, it is crucial, as with any other tool, to become familiar with the appropriate and ethical use of these tools as well as their limitations. As such, the NC DNA Day Blog permits its contributors to use generative AI in the creation of blog content, as long as 1) the use of any generative AI tool is appropriately documented and 2) the contributor acknowledges that they remain entirely responsible for the content in the final product.
In order to assist the documentation process, we provide a table to be filled out whenever and wherever generative AI is applied to blog content. The table includes most major steps along a post’s timeline and enables the contributors to document what tool was used and how the output of the tool was used. Any post that utilizes one of these tools must include a statement, such as “This post was created with the assistance of generative AI tools. For a full breakdown, see this article’s documentation table.”, and a link to the completed table that will be made publicly accessible.
Furthermore, since any contributor using generative AI is responsible for the product, they are obligated to validate and verify the final content, including any facts, quotes, sources, and logic. This obligation stems from known limitations of generative AI, including the capability to invent facts and sources, potential biases in the training data, and a lack of knowledge of recent events and discoveries. The overall goal of the use of generative AI should be to improve productivity, creativity, and quality, but it should not do all the thinking or work.
For an excellent example of how generative AI can be used for blog content, please see this article and its linked generative AI documentation table.
– NC DNA Day Blog Managing Editors
This statement and the documentation table are inspired and adapted from UNC-CH’s Student Generative AI Usage Guidance. No use of AI was used in the creation of this statement.