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Generative AI: Introduction

A guide to using genAI at South Metropolitan TAFE

Generative AI Guide

If you choose to use Generative AI in your assessment, it is essential to remember:

  • Generative AI / genAI is changing rapidly. It is difficult to keep up to date with what's happening.
  • Make sure you check the information you find elsewhere - you can't always rely on the accuracy of what you find.
  • Is your use of genAI ethical? If you plan on using genAI in your assessment, ensure you have the approval of your lecturer.
  • Make sure you reference your use of genAI!

All About Generative AI

What is Generative AI

Generative AI or genAI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content (such as text, image, code or music) based on patterns learnt from existing data.  You can type in a prompt which will generate a response based on the criteria in your prompt. You are able to easily refine this to build understanding.

There are ethical considerations when using genAI.  Responsible use depends on you using critical thinking to evaluate the accuracy of the information that is generated.  Do not rely solely on genAI content.  

The following will help you better understand more about genAI:

Types of Generative AI

There are a huge range of genAI tools with new tools emerging daily.  Many charge for you to use.  Free starting points are listed to the right.  Read on for more tools.

Find The Best Tool For You

  • Futurepedia
    New  AI products and tools are being created daily.  Futurepedia is a great starting point to see what is available.  Types of tools are categorised to make it easier to find what you need.
  • Generative AI Product Tracker
    A great starting tool to compare the major gen AI tools.  Provides information on versions, purchasing models, key features, pros/cons of each tool.
  • There's an AI for That
    Another aggregator bringing together a huge range of gen AI tools and tasks.
  • Chatbot Arena  allows you to compare results between 2 different tools.  It's a great self education tool!
  • Poe allows you to compare results in different models from one place.  You can type in your prompt and click on the different tools to compare which provides the best response for you.  Remember that different genAI tools have strengths in different areas.  There's a youtube tutorial to provide you with an overview: How to compare different AI chatbots and models by Zain Kahn (August 2024).

Tips on Using Generative AI

Prompting Tips:

Summarising Articles and Research Papers:

  • Upload the PDF of an article to Claude (click on the paperclip).  Once loaded, request:   "Please summarise..."
  • Paste in the URL of an article to Microsoft Copilot and request:  "Please summarise..."
  • Try out Elicit  and/or Humata which focus on research articles.

Other Useful Tools:

  • Explain Like I'm Five - a great tool to explain things simply (you can choose how simple you want your response to be).  You can also use e.g. Bard or Bing to do this same by including the right prompts.  The free version of this tool only allows a limited number of requests per day.
  • Use Grammarly to help with your writing.
  • Quillbot - get help with grammar, summarising, and flow of your text.  There's also a plagiarism checker (don't rely on it!) and a citation generator.
  • Trinka - get help with your writing - grammar and paraphrasing.  
  • Use Khanmigo to help you better understand a whole range of topics....including maths!  You get an ai tutor.
  • Welcome to AI in Education! - a resource for students, built by University of Sydney students. 
  • Artificial Intelligence: Advice for Students from TEQSA.

Explore Generative AI

  
This work has been generated using Adobe Firefly AI. Any copyright subsisting from this work is owned by South Metropolitan TAFE, 2024.

Generative AI Tools

Some Free GenAI Tools:

(Note: some of these require you to set up a free account)

Text (and more):

Image generation:

Translating:

Coding:

Compare:

Strengths of Generative AI

*  Brainstorm / generate ideas.
*  Simplify / explain complex text.
*  Build English skills. 
*  Summarise information.
*  Fix your grammar.
*  Edit your work.
*  Fix your APA referencing.
*  Create report outlines.
*  Fix / explain coding.

Weaknesses of Generative AI

*  ChatGPT is trained on old data so won't know recent facts.
*  Misinformation - check your facts!
*  Hallucinates (may make up content).
*  Creates fake references.
*  Racial and gender bias is a big problem .
*  Privacy issues - if you load content, will take and use in its database.

Remember:  you are interacting with content based on machine learning.  GenAI doesn't think critically or necessarily fact check!

Tags: genAI, generative ai, generative artificial intelligence IP and Copyright Statement: Unless otherwise stated text and images in these guides are Copyright © South Metropolitan TAFE. Book cover images remain the property of publishers and are used under licence from Syndetics.