There has been a notion that using AI to write text or create media is not plagiarism, because plagiarism is using another person's work without indicating you are doing so. AI is not a person, so how can generating AI products be plagiarism? The problem here is that your definition of plagiarism is wrong:
Plagiarism is pretending that work you did not personally generate is yours (when it is not). It's fraud, misrepresentation.
Where you got your material is not really important. If you cause your reader or viewer to believe that the product came from you when it didn't, you are plagiarizing.
So, what are the guidelines?
1. All of us now have spell-checkers and grammar-checkers in our word processors. Cleaning up language and avoiding basic errors has become legitimate.
2. Generation of actual content - sentences, paragraphs, images, other media - gives the impression that you are the creator. If AI is the real creator and you fail to acknowledge that, you are plagiarizing.
3. If you do use AI for anything other than basic spelling and grammar checking, you must cite it just like you would any other source. There are detailed instructions on how you do this in several formats:
4. Remember that using AI as your servant to generate material that your prof wants you to produce yourself robs you of the opportunity to develop your own critical thinking and research skills, can have you submitting AI-generated errors, and can bring the consequences of plagiarism down upon you. Basic rule: Never let AI do what your professor expects you do for yourself.
If you need further guidance, consult with your professor or contact one of our librarians.
