Ethical Use of (Gen) AI

Dr. Aubrey Neil Leveridge

12 Ethical Use of (Gen) AI

Dr. Aubrey Neil Leveridge

Introduction

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, it plays an increasingly significant role in various fields, including natural resources and environmental management. AI tools can assist in data analysis, resource modeling, decision-making, and even communication strategies. However, the use of AI also raises important ethical considerations, particularly when it comes to transparency, privacy, bias, and accountability. This chapter focuses on the ethical use of AI in academic and professional settings, emphasizing the importance of responsible AI usage in the natural resources sector.

As students and professionals, it is essential to understand the ethical implications of using AI, especially when working with sensitive environmental data, collaborating with Indigenous communities, or making decisions that impact ecosystems and stakeholders. This chapter will introduce key ethical guidelines for AI use, along with an AI Usage Scale to help you evaluate your AI-related activities. Throughout your academic journey, it’s crucial to stay informed about UBC’s Ethical AI Guidelines, which are constantly updated to reflect the latest advancements and best practices in AI ethics.

The Importance of Ethical AI Use

AI technologies offer great potential for enhancing productivity, improving decision-making, and advancing research in the natural resources sector. However, the adoption of AI also introduces risks related to:

Bias and Fairness: AI systems can inadvertently reinforce existing biases in data, leading to skewed outcomes or unfair treatment of certain groups, including marginalized communities.
Transparency: AI algorithms often operate as “black boxes,” meaning their decision-making processes are not always transparent. It’s important to ensure transparency and accountability when using AI in decision-making processes.
Privacy: AI systems frequently handle large datasets that may include personal or sensitive information. Ethical AI usage requires the protection of privacy and ensuring that data is used responsibly.
Accountability: Determining who is responsible when AI systems produce incorrect or harmful outcomes is a major ethical concern. Users of AI must be accountable for the outcomes of their AI-assisted work.

In the context of natural resources management, these ethical considerations are particularly important. Decisions made with the aid of AI can affect ecosystems, biodiversity, and communities, including Indigenous rightsholders. Therefore, it is essential that AI is used ethically, with a focus on minimizing harm and maximizing fairness.

UBC’s Ethical AI Guidelines

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is committed to fostering responsible and ethical AI use in both academic and professional settings. UBC has developed Ethical AI Guidelines to help students, faculty, and researchers navigate the ethical challenges associated with AI technologies. These guidelines are updated regularly to reflect emerging trends and issues in AI ethics, so it is important to refer to the website for the most current information.

The UBC Ethical AI Guidelines cover a wide range of topics, including:

Ensuring fairness and mitigating bias in AI systems
Protecting privacy and personal data in AI applications
Promoting transparency and explainability in AI algorithms
Fostering accountability and responsibility in AI usage
Incorporating ethical considerations into AI research and development

As you use AI tools in your coursework and future careers, it is essential to regularly consult these guidelines and integrate ethical practices into your AI-related activities.

The AI Usage Scale

As part of this course, we may use the **AI Usage Scale**, a tool developed by Dr. Neil Leveridge, to help guide ethical AI use in academia, particularly those related to data analysis, communication, and decision-making. The AI Usage Scale allows you to assess how much AI assistance you are incorporating into your work and whether it aligns with UBC’s ethical guidelines. This scale is still under developement.

AI Usage Scale

Level 10: Full AI Collaboration

At this level, AI can assist with research and drafting, but your original thought and final composition must be uniquely yours.

Research & Drafting: AI can help design research and draft content, but you must ensure the work is plagiarism-free and intellectually yours.

Level 9: Co-Authoring with AI

AI acts almost like a co-author, but you must rigorously review and validate all AI-generated material.

Drafting & Reviewing: AI can draft papers based on your outline, but the final analysis and content must be your own.

Level 8: Peer Review Facilitators

AI significantly supports your research and writing, but you are the primary author.

Research Support: AI can assist with peer review suggestions and initial literature reviews, but you must conduct the final review.

Level 7: Content Ideas & Suggestions

AI provides content ideas and suggestions, but you maintain responsibility for the final work’s integrity.

Content Creation: AI suggests ideas and critiques drafts, but you must make the final decisions and revisions.

Level 6: Draft Generation

AI helps create initial drafts, but you must revise and adapt this content to reflect your understanding.

Initial Drafting: AI generates topics and abstracts, but you must personalize and refine the content.

Level 5: Sentence Refinement

AI assists in refining your paper’s readability, but the core ideas and arguments must be your own.

Writing Enhancement: AI can suggest sentence improvements, but the original thoughts must be yours.

Level 4: Structuring Tools

AI helps organize your paper, but you must still conduct the research and writing.

Organization: AI can outline and manage references, but the intellectual effort must be yours.

Level 3: Citation Helpers

AI automates the citation process, but the actual content creation is your responsibility.

Citations & Summaries: AI can summarize literature and help with citations, but you must create the content.

Level 2: Spelling and Grammar Checkers

AI helps with basic spelling and grammar, assisting with the presentation of your academic work.

Proofreading: AI can check spelling and grammar, but it doesn’t contribute to the paper’s academic content.

Level 1: Basic Writing Tools

AI acts as a basic utility, providing minimal assistance with the mechanics of writing.

Basic Utilities: AI can correct simple spelling mistakes and perform basic formatting.

Level 0: AI-Free Writing

No AI assistance is used. Your work is entirely your own.

Independent Work: You write without AI tools, ensuring your work is completely original.

As a student, you are responsible for using AI ethically and acknowledging any AI assistance in your assignments. For example, if you use AI to generate data visualizations or assist with writing, make sure to credit the AI tool and critically assess the outputs. If AI is used to analyze environmental data, ensure that the data is accurate, free from bias, and transparent in how it was processed.

Applying the AI Usage Scale in Your Coursework

In this course, you will be asked to evaluate your use of AI in various assignments. Whether you are writing a data commentary or creating a video cover letter, understanding the role of AI and using it ethically is critical to your success. The AI Usage Scale will help you reflect on how much AI you are using and guide you in maintaining academic integrity and ethical standards.

In the Video Cover Letter assignment, if you use AI to help with script writing or structure, make sure it aligns with Level 2 – Low AI Use and does not replace your own critical thinking and personal reflection. Ensure that the AI tool is used responsibly to enhance, not dominate, your work.

Example: Applying the AI Usage Scale in the Portfolio Assignment

Introduction to the Portfolio Assignment

The Portfolio Assignment in NRES 225 asks you to create a professional management report, a community communiqué, and a town hall presentation addressing two environmental challenges. In this assignment, AI tools can be used to assist with various aspects of the project, but it’s essential to ensure that their use aligns with ethical guidelines and the AI Usage Scale discussed in the course.

Let’s walk through how the AI Usage Scale can be applied in the different parts of the Portfolio Assignment to help you make responsible and ethical decisions when using AI tools.

Part 1: Management Report

For the management report, you may use AI tools to assist with data visualization, formatting, and organizing content. Here’s how AI usage might be categorized based on the AI Usage Scale:

Level 1 – No AI Use:
You manually write the report, analyze the data, and create any visuals, such as graphs or charts, without any AI assistance. You rely on your skills and resources to complete the report entirely on your own.
Level 2 – Low AI Use:
You use AI tools like grammar checkers (e.g., Grammarly) or formatting assistants in Microsoft Word to ensure the report is polished and free of errors. These tools improve readability without influencing the content or analysis.
Level 3 – Moderate AI Use:
You use AI tools like Google Sheets or Excel with AI-powered features to generate graphs or run statistical analyses on the data. In this case, the AI helps process the data, but you retain full control over interpreting and presenting the results in the report.
Level 4 – High AI Use:
You rely on an AI tool to generate a significant portion of the report, such as writing the executive summary or making recommendations. At this level, you must carefully review and validate the AI-generated content, ensuring it aligns with ethical guidelines and that any biases or errors are corrected.
Level 5 – AI-Centric Work:
AI plays a central role in both data processing and writing the report. For example, you use an AI model to generate predictive environmental data and base your entire report on these AI-generated insights. In this case, you must ensure full transparency in how AI was used, critically evaluate the outputs, and acknowledge AI’s role in the final report.

Ethical Consideration: If AI is used to generate sections of the report, you must critically evaluate the content, ensure it aligns with the project goals, and clearly acknowledge the role of AI in your work. For instance, if AI-generated content informs your conclusions, it must be clearly stated and validated by other sources.

Part 2: Community Communiqué

The community communiqué is designed to simplify complex environmental information for the general public. AI can be used to enhance visual design and communication, but it’s essential to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the message. Here’s how AI usage might be categorized:

Level 1 – No AI Use:
You write the entire communiqué and design the visuals manually, using traditional graphic design software like Canva or Adobe Illustrator.
Level 2 – Low AI Use:
You use AI tools like grammar or spell checkers to ensure that your language is clear and professional. The content is entirely your own, but AI helps with minor corrections and formatting.
Level 3 – Moderate AI Use:
AI tools such as Canva’s design suggestions or Adobe Spark are used to create visual elements (e.g., infographics) to present the information clearly. While AI helps generate design ideas, you retain full control over the final layout and content.
Level 4 – High AI Use:
You use an AI writing assistant (e.g., ChatGPT) to help draft sections of the communiqué, such as summarizing environmental issues or suggesting simplified language for the general public. You must critically review the AI-generated content to ensure it is accurate and aligns with the project’s ethical standards.
Level 5 – AI-Centric Work:
AI is used to create the majority of the communiqué, including generating text, designing visuals, and selecting content. This level requires a high degree of scrutiny to ensure that the AI outputs are accurate, ethical, and appropriate for the public audience.

Ethical Consideration: If AI assists with the creation of the communiqué, ensure that AI-generated visuals and text are accurate, accessible, and inclusive, particularly for the community audience. Acknowledge any AI tools used and ensure the information is presented ethically.

Part 3: Town Hall Presentation

In the town hall presentation, AI can be used to enhance visual elements, assist with data presentation, or even help with structuring the content. However, the presentation should reflect your understanding and communication abilities. Here’s how AI usage might be categorized:

Level 1 – No AI Use:
You create all slides, visuals, and content manually without AI assistance, using traditional presentation software like PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Level 2 – Low AI Use:
You use AI-powered tools to improve slide formatting, grammar, or color schemes (e.g., PowerPoint Designer). The AI helps polish the presentation, but the content is entirely your own.
Level 3 – Moderate AI Use:
You use AI tools to create data visualizations or graphs that support your presentation. The AI helps generate visuals, but you control the interpretation and how the data is presented to the audience.
Level 4 – High AI Use:
You use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate sections of your speaking notes or slide content. At this level, you must critically review and refine the AI-generated content to ensure it accurately reflects the research and message of the presentation.
Level 5 – AI-Centric Work:
AI generates a significant portion of the presentation, including the visuals, slide content, and structure. You must ensure full transparency in how AI was used, critically evaluate the accuracy of the information, and clearly acknowledge AI’s role in the presentation.

Ethical Consideration: When AI assists in creating your presentation, be transparent about its role and ensure that the content remains accurate and ethically sound. Any AI-generated visualizations or text should be critically assessed before presenting to a public audience.

Consider this…

The AI Usage Scale provides a framework for evaluating how much AI is used in your assignments and ensuring that it is applied ethically.
Whether creating a management report, a community communiqué, or a town hall presentation, it’s essential to be transparent about your AI usage and to critically assess AI-generated outputs for accuracy and fairness.
Ethical AI usage requires accountability. Always acknowledge AI tools, ensure that AI-generated content aligns with your project’s goals, and verify the quality and accuracy of the outputs.

By following the AI Usage Scale in your Portfolio Assignment, you can ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly while enhancing your work. Remember to always refer to UBC’s Ethical AI Guidelines for the most current recommendations and updates on responsible AI usage.

Key Takeaways

Ethical AI use is critical in both academic and professional contexts, particularly when working with environmental data and making decisions that impact communities and ecosystems.
UBC’s Ethical AI Guidelines provide a framework for responsible AI usage and should be consulted regularly to stay informed about the latest ethical considerations.
The AI Usage Scale helps you evaluate how much AI is being used in your work and ensures that AI tools are applied ethically and transparently.
Accountability, transparency, and fairness are essential when using AI, particularly in projects related to natural resource management, stakeholder engagement, and environmental decision-making.

By understanding and applying the principles of ethical AI use, you will be better equipped to navigate the complex world of AI in academia and the natural resources sector. As AI continues to evolve, staying informed and adhering to ethical standards will be key to ensuring that AI serves as a tool for positive impact rather than a source of bias or harm.

For more information on UBC’s Ethical AI Guidelines, visit https://ai.ubc.ca.