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AI Use Guide

Using AI in Our Research: A Guide for the BETA Lab

Our Approach to AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the landscape of research. Here at the BETA Lab, we see AI as a powerful tool that can help us read, write, and analyze information more effectively. This guide outlines our approach to using AI responsibly. Our goal is to embrace innovation while upholding the integrity, accuracy, and ethical standards that are essential to our work.

1. Core Principles

Think of AI as a research assistant—one that requires constant supervision. When using any AI tool, stick to these core principles:

  • Be Transparent: Always disclose when and how you’ve used AI in your work. Honesty is non-negotiable.
  • Fact-Check Everything: AI makes mistakes. You are responsible for verifying any information, citations, or data it generates against reliable sources.
  • Uphold Academic Integrity: Never use AI to create fake data, citations, or results. Our commitment to honest research comes first.
  • You’re the Expert: Use AI to support your work, not to do it for you. The final analysis, insight, and critical thinking must be yours.

2. Smart Ways to Use AI

AI can be a great partner when used correctly. Here are some approved ways to incorporate it into your workflow:

  • For Research and Discovery: Use AI to get the gist of long articles, find related papers in a new field, or help organize your references and citations.
  • For Writing and Editing: AI can be a great help for improving your writing. Use it to polish your grammar and style, brainstorm different ways to structure your paper, or get a rough translation of a text to aid collaboration.
  • For Data Analysis: Leverage AI-powered tools to process and visualize large datasets, explore preliminary patterns in your data, or tackle complex calculations with engines like Wolfram|Alpha.
  • For Productivity: Let AI handle repetitive work. Use it to transcribe interview recordings, summarize meeting notes, or create a first draft of a presentation or figure that you can then refine.

3. Boundaries and Misuse

To maintain academic integrity, certain uses of AI are strictly prohibited. Do not use AI to:

  • Write entire sections of text that you pass off as your own original work.
  • Fabricate or alter research data, results, or citations.
  • Perform a literature review using only AI summaries without reading the primary sources.
  • Copy and paste large blocks of AI-generated text into your work without clear attribution.

4. How to Cite AI

Just like any other source, you must acknowledge your use of AI. Follow the standard citation format for your discipline. Always check with your supervisor, journal, or department for their specific requirements. Here are a few examples:

5. Important Ethical Reminders

  • Protect Sensitive Data: Public AI tools are not secure. Never upload confidential lab data, personal information, or proprietary research.
  • Watch for Bias: AI models are trained on vast amounts of internet data, which can contain biases. Critically evaluate AI outputs for skewed or unfair perspectives.
  • Don’t Trust, Verify: AI can be confidently wrong—a phenomenon known as “hallucination.” You are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of your work, so double-check every fact, figure, and claim.

6. Looking Ahead

AI is constantly changing, and so will our practices. We will update this guide as new tools and university policies emerge. Our commitment is to use AI in a way that enhances our research and upholds the highest standards of our field. If you have questions or ideas, let’s discuss them.