Department AI Policy
Computer Science Departmental Policy on AI Usage
This document details the Department’s standard policies regarding the use of AI tools in all Computer Science classes.
What counts as Generative AI?
Generative AI refers to all the AI systems that can create new content like text, code, images, audio, and other types of media. Such systems include but are not limited to:
- Large language models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.), apps and agents derived from them, and aggregator interfaces (Amplify, LibreChat, etc.)
- Code generation tools (GitHub Copilot, Google Colab, Cursor, etc.)
- Image generators (DALL-E, Midjourney, etc.)
- AI-powered writing assistants and autocomplete features
- NotebookLM, Quizlet AI features, and other AI-enhanced study tools
While such systems are powerful and often highly appealing to students for use in classes, careless use of these systems can drastically harm your learning.
How might the use of AI impair your learning?
- Inhibits growth in critical thinking and problem-solving: using generative AI to complete an assignment deprives yourself of the learning opportunities offered by the assignment.
- Creates a sense of false confidence: completing an assignment using generative AI is not a useful check of your own abilities.
- Creates dependency: generative AI companies are not invested in your learning or critical thinking skills and would love you to become dependent on AI.
- Limits creativity and self-expression: communicating through generative AI silences your own unique voice.
- Threatens professional relationships: improper use of generative AI threatens your relationship with your instructors. Your instructors can tell when you are improperly using AI, even if they don't say anything! Consequently, your instructors will be less likely to write strong recommendation letters or provide you with other opportunities.
Why do we give you assignments?
"We don’t assign essays because the world needs more student essays." - Emily Bender
Assignments are designed to help you develop essential skills and ways of thinking that will serve you throughout your education and beyond. Each assignment is an opportunity to practice critical thinking, develop your unique voice, learn from struggle, engage with material, demonstrate learning, and prepare for future challenges. Careless use of AI tools compromises all of these.
Academic Integrity Expectations
Rule #1: Be transparent about AI use. Always acknowledge any generative AI tools that you used to help complete assignments (and summarize how they were used, e.g., in a comment at the top of a program or in a README).
Rule #2: You are always responsible for all submitted work, regardless of any assistance received and whether that assistance was acknowledged. Understand that overreliance on AI tools hinders your ability to learn.
What are prohibited uses of generative AI?
- Generating code for an assignment, even if you intend to revise it.
- Generating text for an assignment, such as a draft of a paper or an answer to a homework problem, even if you intend to revise it.
- Completing exams or quizzes.
- Analyzing data or interpreting results without your own reasoning.
- Generating ideas for creative projects or research questions.
Undisclosed violations of the above guidelines constitute academic dishonesty on your part.
If you have a desired use case for AI and are not sure whether it falls under one of the above prohibited categories, ask your instructor for clarification.
Any course-specific policies, such as presented in a course syllabus or given for a specific assignment, take precedence over the guidelines presented above. Otherwise, or in any situations not explicitly addressed by course-specific policies, the standard guidelines given here apply.