AI Guidance

AI Guidance for Parents and Guardians

AI Guidance for Staff

AI Guidance for Students

Determine Relevant Use of Generative AI

The difference between a search engine and a generative AI tool is crucial for smart, responsible use. While both can give you information, they have very different purposes, and picking the right one is key.

Use a search engine for information retrieval and fact-checking. It's the best tool for tasks that require accuracy and reliable sources, such as defining a term or finding current news.
Use a generative AI tool for content creation and synthesis. It's ideal for tasks like simplifying a complex topic, drafting an outline, or comparing multiple sets of data.

Strategically using these tools is also important from an environmental perspective. Generative AI models consume a large amount of energy and water, making it even more vital to determine when their use is truly relevant.

To determine relevant uses of generative AI, you should:

Decide on the overall purpose of a task before selecting a generative AI tool.
Avoid using AI for trivial, non-essential tasks by asking yourself, “Is this the best tool for the job?”
Be sure to select a tool that aligns with the outcome you're trying to achieve.

Safeguard Privacy and Confidentiality

When you use generative AI tools, it's vital to know that any information you enter—from your prompts to your students' personal details—may be used by companies to train their AI models. This includes private information about students, families, employees, and any confidential data belonging to PGCPS.

Always assume that any information you share with a generative AI application could become public.

To safeguard privacy and maintain confidentiality, you should:

Never input personally identifiable information, like names, dates of birth, addresses, protected health information, or other information that could identify an individual or group.
Do not enter confidential, sensitive, or legally protected information into generative AI tools. This includes, but isn't limited to, student records, employee information, or any proprietary data that could identify individuals.

Verify the Accuracy of the Output

Generative AI tools create responses based on the massive and varied data they were trained on, much of which is publicly available. Because of this, their outputs can sometimes contain false information (“hallucinations”) and may also include copyrighted or proprietary content.

To ensure the accuracy of the output:

Always verify the accuracy and appropriateness of GenAI-generated content before sharing.
Avoid using any GenAI outputs that might contain copyrighted material without clear ownership. Check for copyright notices, consider the type of content and source (e.g., U.S. government content is generally public), or consult public domain repositories or the Copyright Database.

Critique for Bias and Fairness

Generative AI models are trained on vast amounts of data, and because of this, they often reflect the biases present in that data. This can lead to outputs that unintentionally perpetuate harmful stereotypes or discrimination. This outcome is directly opposed to our commitment to providing equitable, transformative learning experiences for all students and staff.

To critique for bias and fairness, you should:

Review all AI outputs carefully to ensure they're accurate, free of bias, and support our educational goals. Ask whose perspective may be missing from the information the AI tool provides.
Always verify the source information that generative AI provides by searching for the original source used to produce the output.
Be vigilant for biases in AI outputs, especially when using these tools for making decisions or analyzing data. Always use your own judgment and a variety of sources to verify, contextualize, and expand upon the information provided.