AI at UCL – get involved

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly been making headlines in the press since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, and the emergence of numerous other online tools utilising generative AI. Inevitably this is having an impact on education and research processes, and UCL is working to develop policy, guidance and support, whilst considering the related opportunities AI offers now and into the future.

UCL’s ‘AI in Education’ group includes AI experts, academics and representatives from across UCL’s support services and is addressing issues through various workstreams. I am involved in the Academic Skills AI workstream and, together with colleagues from the UCL Academic Communication Centre, UCL Digital Skills and academic staff, we are developing guidance on utilising AI, to complement policy, expand and refine existing guidance, and integrate with guidance on academic integrity and in the remit of individual support services.

One area with implications for LCCOS is AI literacy, which dovetails with several strands of information literacy. Key areas of the LibrarySkills@UCL skills framework which relate to AI include:

• AI tools as a source of information for academic work.
• The importance of critically evaluating information obtained from AI and consideration as to whether and to what extent it should be used to inform academic work.
• The extent to which the use of AI should be acknowledged in a piece of academic work and how to reference it as a source where appropriate.

The academic skills workstream is currently considering approaches to acknowledging and referencing AI, to develop consensus on a UCL recommended approach.

How can I get involved or find out more?

• Express your interest in joining a new LCCOS AI group. This group will identify opportunities and concerns relating to AI in the context of our services and support and help inform relevant LCCOS guidance on AI, including incorporating AI guidance into our existing skills offerings. Through my involvement in the AI Academic Skills workstream, this group can help to inform UCL’s guidance and support. To express an interest in joining the LCCOS AI group, please contact me: Angela Young.
• Sign up to attend our LCCOS Staff Summer School session on ‘AI at UCL: Library support for AI literacy’ on Monday 10 July, 14.00-14.50 on MS Teams.
• Consider the impact of AI on the support you and your team provide and the activities you carry out.