AI and Generative AI

Yes. The uses of AI tools are wide ranging – for example you might use them to organise coursework, track deadlines, create customised study plans, organise notes and even help you focus on your work. They can help with suggesting keywords and making connections within research information. But if you use Generative AI tools (like Copilot and ChatGPT), they must be used intelligently and transparently, and you must avoid an over-reliance on them. It is your responsibility to critically appraise outputs, reviewing them for accuracy. Further information can be found on the Critical evaluation guide.

You must also acknowledge your use of Gen AI tools. This includes stating what Gen AI tools you used and for what purpose. Always check your assignment brief for any specific guidelines or restrictions on AI tool usage, and if you're unsure, ask your module leader or supervisor for advice.

Aside from these pages on the library website, Cranfield University provides you with guidance in the form of: Assignment briefs, Generative AI Guidance for students (MyCranfield), Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidance for staff (The Hub). You can also talk to your module leader or supervisor; librarian (for referencing help); Research and Innovation Office (for research students).

Use AI tools as assistants, not as authors. They can help with brainstorming, drafting, or summarising, but you must critically evaluate and edit the output. Always follow the Generative AI Guidance for students (MyCranfield) policy and any specific guidance on AI use in your course.

Use AI to support your thinking - not replace it. AI tools can help outline or refine ideas, but your critical analysis and voice must come through. Reflective practice, planning, and independent research are key to maintaining originality and meeting learning outcomes.

Ensure you understand and properly attribute all content you use. If AI helps generate text, data, or ideas, acknowledge this according to Generative AI - Acknowledging the use of AI and referencing AI. Do not submit AI-generated content as your own unless explicitly allowed. Check your department or module’s policy on AI use and Generative AI Guidance for students (MyCranfield).

AI can produce convincing but incorrect or fictional information (known as ‘hallucinations’), including fake references. Always verify facts and citations using trusted academic sources such as library databases. Never rely solely on AI for referencing. Ask your Librarian if you need more help with this, by emailing library@cranfield.ac.uk.

Follow the university guidance which can be found at Generative AI - Acknowledging the use of AI and referencing AI.

Yes, but you must acknowledge your use of AI for this, as per the information at Generative AI - Acknowledging the use of AI and referencing AI .

The reason for the acknowledgement is because as grammar checking and translation tools have developed over time, they have gone from simple spelling and punctuation checking to using ever more sophisticated rules and now AI algorithms. These may change what you have written so much that it is no longer clear that you are the author. Follow our guidance Generative AI - Acknowledging the use of AI and referencing AI.

Yes, some of Grammarly's features use generative AI. If you use Grammarly's generative AI, you need to acknowledge it, even if you are using the software to support a disability or language need. See the guidance at Generative AI - Acknowledging the use of AI and referencing AI .

Grammarly’s AI features are indicated by the pencil and lightbulb icons. These can also be labelled as rewrite with Grammarly and Improve it. On the Grammarly website, these are also accessed through the Generative AI button.

If you are concerned that you may use the generative AI features accidentally, Grammarly allows you to turn off these features.

To turn off Grammarly's generative AI features:

1. In Grammarly, select  "Account" from the menu.
2. From the Account menu, go to "Settings" and then select "Feature Customisation" from the menu.
3. Toggle the generative AI functions to off. The tick symbol (check mark) will not show when the features are turned off. 

Generative AI (GenAI) tools, like Copilot or ChatGPT, create new content such as text, images, or music based on input data. In contrast, other AI tools, like recommendation systems (e.g. Netflix's movie suggestions) or classification algorithms (e.g. spam filters), analyse and categorise existing data without generating new content. Essentially, GenAI focuses on creation, while other AI tools focus on analysis and decision-making.

You don’t. Most AI tool creators do not provide information on what their tool has been trained on. Generally, information has been gathered from the internet, from sites such as Wikipedia, open access material and social media. Some sites use blockers to prevent pulling in harmful information. Most academic quality research is behind paywalls and is not accessible by many tools.

No. You need to consider the issues of privacy and copyright legislation.

AI prompts are generally not private unless using a local or encrypted tool. Avoid sharing sensitive, personal, or confidential information with AI tools. Your interactions might be used in future training data, potentially resurfacing in unexpected ways. Transparency about data usage varies among AI companies, and harm can occur even without a breach due to internal misuse or poor moderation standards.

There are a number of ongoing legal cases which should clarify the legality of sharing copyright material (where you don’t own the copyright) with AI tools. In the meantime, don’t share copyright items with an AI tool – and that includes asking AI to summarise papers or articles.

Many AI tools have both an unpaid and a paid version. Cranfield University does not recommend that you pay for any AI tool.

You can use a more secure version of Copilot (a type of GenAI similar to ChatGPT), paid for by Cranfield, by searching for it through Bing, and setting up an account using your Cranfield credentials. When using it, check your sign in details at the top right of the screen to make sure you are using the Cranfield-subscribed version.

Yes. On Cranfield’s Digital Skills Hub, you can find lots of information and training opportunities on AI and Generative AI. You can use the JISC discovery tool to assess your current knowledge and get suggestions for further training that you might wish to undertake. You can also sign up here for a wide range of LinkedIn Learning courses.

Further information can be found on the library webpages, where we also offer training, run by the Library, on a variety of AI topics including using AI tools for literature searching and research (bookable via DATES).