Penn State University Libraries recently unveiled a timely resource for students navigating the rapidly evolving world of generative AI. The Generative AI Guide provides a comprehensive toolkit to help students integrate AI into academic work — including research and course work — ethically and responsibly. Designed to assist users while upholding Penn State’s standards of academic integrity, the guide clarifies key concepts like the distinction between general AI (systems making predictions) and GenAI (models generating text/images).
The guide also highlights Microsoft Copilot as the University’s recommended AI tool, offering secure access through Penn State authentication. Unlike with public platforms, data entered using Microsoft Copilot stays confidential and isn’t used to train external models — a critical advantage for protecting academic work. The guide also addresses practical concerns including:
- best practices for citing AI-generated content
- updates on emerging AI tools via the Ithaka S+R Generative AI Product Tracker
- guidelines for evaluating AI limitations and biases
Regularly updated with Penn State’s latest resources related to the ever-changing AI landscape, this guide can help students use technologies such as text generators responsibly while avoiding common pitfalls. The focus on ethical applications makes the guide particularly helpful for assignments where students must be transparent about any use of AI tools.
Explore the Generative AI Guide at Penn State University Libraries
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