Can I use Artificial Intelligence in my application?
This A.I. image of the International Space Station highlights one issue with artificial intelligence - it gets a lot wrong!
Like many classroom teachers, the Genes in Space team has wrestled with the recent rise of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. So-called Large Language Models (LLMs) can be educationally valuable in simplifying complex concepts, helping students organize their thoughts, or increasing accessibility by delivering explanations in different formats. However, these tools can also create ethical challenges and complicate instances of plagiarism and academic integrity.
With or without A.I., the Genes in Space competition aims to foster critical thinking and science skills in any circumstance or context. We've identified four pillars of an authentic Genes in Space experience below:
- Identifying interesting problems
- Articulating a hypothesis
- Designing an experiment
- Persuading others of your ideas
When used correctly, A.I. tools can empower these skills, but they will never replace them. For this reason, we have outlined a framework for how A.I. tools can be used responsibly in our competition:
Acceptable use of AI:
- Check with your teacher first- Your adult sponsor may have a different opinion on what constitutes acceptable use. Always check with them before using A.I. tools.
- Summarizing the state of the field - There's a lot happening in space biology! A.I. can help you find scientific papers and learn about recent discoveries to support your ideas.
- Understanding a technical publication - Journal articles can be challenging to understand. Asking A.I. tools to clarify explanations at an appropriate reading level can promote better understanding.
- Grammar Checking - A.I. tools like Grammarly can be great for improving clarity or citing sources correctly. Grammar checkers can also help level the playing field for English language learners.
Unacceptable use of AI:
- Idea Generation - Your project should be your own idea. Asking A.I. tools to develop a question, hypothesis, or protocol for you violates our A.I. policy.
- Writing Content - There is no substitute for communication, and proposals, or parts of proposals, written by a robot will be screened out of contention.
We recognize that artificial intelligence tools are here to stay, and that simply banning them is not a viable option. Instead, we want to work with educators to use them in a way that enriches students' experience, builds foundational skill sets, and leads to thoughtful, rigorous Genes in Space student proposals. We can't wait to read them!
