Philippine universities release guidelines on AI use in the academe
Philippine universities have released guidelines regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the academe.
AI has been a concern in the academe, as some students allegedly use it to write papers and answer exams.
The tech has also been criticized for generating artwork and even fake, misleading images.
However, some parties see AI as innovative and can be used to improve the education sector as long as there are rules to follow.
Here are the universities that have policies on AI to date.
University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP), on its website, said it's actively engaged in developing AI in the country. It noted that AI is taught in its undergraduate and graduate levels, being the first university to offer a doctorate program in AI.
It listed 15 "Principles for Responsible and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence" to serve as "guardrails for our community and stakeholders," namely:
- Common good
- Empowerment
- Cultural sensitivity
- Privacy
- Accountability
- Meaningful human control
- Transparency
- Fairness
- Environment friendly
- Primacy of learning goals
- Human capital development
- Capacity building
- Education management and delivery
- Collaboration
The state university also established the UP AI Advancement Committee (AIAC) "to create an empowering environment where members of the UP community can continue to openly discuss the benefits and concerns associated with using AI and continue to come up with better policies and guidelines."
AIAC's chair and members are appointed by the UP president.
A separate UP AI Advisory Board, composed of leaders from various sectors, is also created to advise the university board of regents on its use.
UP Los Baños Graduate School
The UPLB Graduate School, in a Facebook post, gave four recommendations for faculty members and students regarding the use of AI "based on the ethical principles of integrity, accountability, and transparency."
- Original content creation – AI tools must not be used to create the content of academic papers
- Language and readability enhancement – AI tools may be utilized only for improving the readability and language of academic papers, i.e., grammar and style checking
- Declaration of AI use – Any use of AI tools must be declared
- Quality and ethical review – The guidance and advisory committee is responsible for reviewing the manuscripts of graduate students
Far Eastern University
Far Eastern University published student guidelines on when and where AI can be used in class outputs.
It said AI can be used for stylistic enhancements "to fit the standards and expectations required in their written output," such as minimizing typographical errors and improving grammar.
It may also be used to create initial drafts or rough outlines of their outputs, to summarize concepts related to their topic, and to supply visual guides like tables and charts for their work.
As for creative outputs, FEU said students may use AI to create initial drafts for poems, stories, and drawings, as well as improve the visual aspects of their work to make it closer to what they initially envisioned.
The university also reminded students who use AI to verify all the inputs and resources it provided and declare all AI platforms they used in their work.
It advised against using AI where it replicates a specific skill to assess the student's performance, such as in drawing or painting activities that test one's artistic skills, reflection papers, expository essays, and identification tests.
