The 4EU+ Academic Council is proud to announce the publication of its opinion paper on the use of generative AI in education and research.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, this document explores the potential benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations of integrating AI technologies within academic settings. It provides valuable guidance for teachers, students, and researchers on effectively leveraging generative AI while maintaining academic integrity.
Use of GENAI for education and research within the 4EU+ Alliance
Read the opinion paper produced by the AI Working Group on behalf of the 4EU+ Academic Council
To offer a deeper understanding of the paper, we feature an interview with Khaled Ismail, the coordinator of the working group responsible for its creation. Khaled shares additional perspectives on the findings and recommendations, shedding light on the motivations behind the paper and its implications for the future of AI in academia.
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen
At the beginning of this 4EU+ Academic Council (AC) cycle, Berni Hasenknopf, Chair of the Academic Council, asked council members to propose topics for which the AC could produce opinion papers. I suggested the topic of the use of AI in education and research due to the exponential increase in AI tools and applications in recent months. The potential of these tools drove their popularity, but there was also significant concern and apprehension about their potential risks, including within academia.
The topic of Generative AI (GenAI) in education and research within the 4EU+ was later prioritized by AC members and received support from the 4EU+ Management Committee (MC).
A working group1 comprising a small number of AC members formed to develop a draft opinion paper on the topic, aiming to produce version 1 within six months. Given the rapid developments in AI, the document was intended to be a living document.
Our working group, which I coordinated, planned the document's structure, reviewed existing guidance from partner universities and international stakeholders, and synthesized this information into a first draft. We divided into subgroups focusing on GenAI in Education and Research. After combining, copy-editing, and circulating the draft for feedback from experts within our institutions, the finalized document was accepted by the AC and sent to the MC for discussion and final approval.
According to your findings, what are the key benefits and opportunities that Generative AI offers for students and academics within the 4EU+ Alliance?
Generative AI (GenAI) can significantly enhance the educational environment for both academics and students. For teachers, AI can streamline administrative tasks, freeing up time for lesson preparation and organization, and supporting pedagogical innovation. AI systems can facilitate cross-disciplinary approaches and create innovative assessment methods.
For students, AI can function as a 24/7 personalized tutor, offering assistance outside of classroom hours. The ability to use and utilize AI is increasingly perceived as a crucial component of digital literacy, an essential skill for future careers across all disciplines and also one of the 4EU+ key competencies. AI tools can also help students overcome language barriers and support those with visual, hearing, or speech difficulties.
AI can also alleviate the burden of tedious tasks for researchers. It can automate text generation for project design, perform routine data analysis tasks such as data cleaning, transformation, and visualization, or estimate indirect costs for research proposals. AI can also assist with medical writing by aiding in translation, grammar checks, sentence structure and editing. In the context of literature searching and reviewing, AI can be a valuable tool for citation screening, study selection, data synthesis and analysis.
What are some of the significant risks and drawbacks associated with the use of Generative AI, and what should students and educators be particularly careful about?
There are several challenges and drawbacks. GenAI systems are only as good as the data used for their initial training. There is risk that these systems can inherit biased or misleading data and perpetuate these biases. For example, the data used in training might not reflect the diversity of our world, potentially worsening some of the existing inequalities. AI can also “hallucinate” and generate incorrect information, which can lead to serious consequences if taken at face value and disseminated as “factual” information. The way these systems were developed might also pose significant ethical concerns, particularly when there is a lack of clarity about the rightful and ethical use of data for training purposes.
What is the stance of the 4EU+ universities and the Alliance on the use of AI in education and research, and how are they planning to integrate these technologies responsibly?
Based on my review of the available documents, the stance of 4EU+ universities towards the use of AI in education and research is "cautiously positive". Most, if not all, 4EU+ partner universities are currently planning or have already started taking active steps to develop guidance and implement systems to regulate the use of AI within their organizations. They aim to ensure that staff and students have access to the necessary resources to use the technology safely, ethically, efficiently, and in an environmentally friendly manner.
The 4EU+ AI Days in Prague highlighted the Alliance's commitment to exploring AI's impact on education and research. Our group was represented by Dariusz Wasik participating in the panel discussion on "Generative AI and Competencies Development for HE Teachers." This event showcased the proactive steps being taken by the alliance. We look forward to seeing how the 4EU+ Alliance continues to lead and shape the future of AI in academia.
How do you see the role of AI evolving in the field of education and research over the next few years?
I envision that in the future, there will be more specialized and subspecialized AI systems acting as expert digital collaborators, helping us brainstorm and refine ideas. AI will give us the confidence to explore new fields and methodologies that might have been challenging to venture otherwise. Additionally, I believe that AI systems will take on more advanced roles in assessment, whether it is for knowledge, skills or behavioural interactions. These are all crucial aspects of science and humanity that have the potential to make AI systems go far beyond being merely artificially intelligent.
Working group members involved in preparing the initial document are:
Khaled Ismail – Charles university (Chair), Rakhee Patel – Sorbonne University, Dariusz Wasik – University of Warsaw, Tomislav Rožić – University of Copenhagen, Margherita Melegari – University of Geneva, Nello Scarabottolo – University of Milan
The working group would also like to thank Marvin Möhler (Heidelberg University) and Mélodie Tran Thuan (Sorbonne University) for their input during the group’s initial discussions and the 4EU+ Academic Council members for their review and feedback on the document.