The Impact of AI
The impact that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will have on education is enormous and the news is rapidly changing. This page contains the AI Syllabus Guidance for BC Instructors along with some additional resources, tools, and opinions regarding AI in learning and education. Let us know if you have any great resources to add!

AI Syllabus Policy Guidance for BC Instructors
AI Tools in Education
ChatGPT
It’s unlikely you haven’t heard of ChatGPT. It’s the most well-known conversational AI chatbot and was released in November 2022 by OpenAI. It has advanced capabilities, such as performing writing tasks well, including composing emails, essays, resumes, and lists. It is also highly proficient in STEM tasks like writing and debugging code and solving complex math equations.
Microsoft Copilot
Often cited as the best alternative to ChatGPT, Copilot actually runs on GPT intelligence, but has a modern, welcoming and user-friendly user interface along with a ton of extra features included in the free version.
Anthropic’s Claude
Claude has become very popular in education circles for its commitment to privacy. Its output and accuracy rivals stalwarts like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini. Claude can answer prompts conversationally for anything you need assistance with, including coding, math, writing, research, and more. It also provides great support and training through its user guides and prompt library.
Gemini
Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is Google’s conversational AI chatbot that functions most similarly to Copilot, sourcing its answers from the web, providing footnotes, and even generating images within its chatbot. Gemini has replaced Google Assistant and is supposed to mimic a conversation with a human. As a result, the AI can be interrupted, carry on multi-turn conversations, and even resume a prior chat. The best part is that it is now available for iOS and Android users for free.
Perplexity
Perplexity AI is a free AI chatbot connected to the internet that has an enjoyable user interface and provides sources by citing links within the text, making it very popular with educators. It’s a great tool for doing research and exploring new topics.
Socratic by Google
Often described as the best AI chatbot for kids and students, Socratic is designed as a learning tool that will generate a conversational, human-like response with fun, unique graphics to help break down a particular concept. It’s a powerful studying tool that can help students check their homework or get across the last hurdle if a question or formula just isn’t making sense.
NOTE: Interactive eLearning has not vetted most of these programs and does not necessarily endorse their use. This list is informational and provides an idea for what is available.
- ChatSonic/WriteSonic (https://writesonic.com/chat). Conversational AI chatbot. Free 10,000 word trial then a cost. Includes AI article writer and has a citations generator.
- Jasper AI (https://www.jasper.ai/). Free trial then a cost. Made for copywriting.
- Quillbot (https://quillbot.com/): This tool is a free generative artificial intelligence tool that can be used to rewrite text, proofread documents, and generate creative content.
- Grammarly (https://www.grammarly.com/): This tool uses AI to detect and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. It also offers suggestions for improving sentence structure.
There are various views about the effectiveness of AI detection tools. This is a list for faculty who choose to explore using the tools in their classrooms. All of these tools are free, or a free trial period is available to test them out.
- Content at Scale – AI Content Detector Checks GPT-3, ChatGPT, & More for Free
- Originality.AI – https://originality.ai/
- ZeroGPT – ZeroGPT – Chat GPT, Open AI and AI text detector Free Tool
- Writer – AI Content Detector | GPT-3 | GPT-4 | ChatGPT – Writer
- Crossplag – AI Content Detector – Crossplag
IMAGE DETECTION
Copyleaks AI Detector (https://copyleaks.com/ai-content-detector): This tool is a free generative artificial intelligence tool that can be used to detect AI-generated images.
- GitHub Copilot (https://github.com/features/copilot):This tool is an AI code generator that can help you write code by suggesting code based on what you’ already written.
- Google Colaboratory (https://colab.research.google.com/): Google Colaboratory is a free Jupyter notebook environment that allows users to run Python code.
- DALL-E 2 (https://openai.com/product/dall-e-2): This tool is an image generator that can create images from a text description. 15 credits a month for free; then paid.
- Midjourney (via Discord): This tool is an image generator that can create images from a text description. About 25 free images then paid. View instructions at their site.
- Firefly
- Stable Diffusion
- Tone Transfer (https://sites.research.google/tonetransfer) is a free online tool that allows users to transfer the style of one song to another. Simply upload two songs, and Tone Transfer will generate a new song that sounds like the first song, but with the style of the second song.
- Open AI Jukebox (https://jukebox.openai.com/) is a free online tool that allows users to generate music by simply typing in a genre, mood, and tempo.
- Murf.ai (https://murf.ai/):This tool is a text-to-speech tool that can generate audio from text. Free trial has no downloads, just 10 minutes of voice generation, then a cost.
- Speechify (https://speechify.com/):This tool is a text-to-speech tool that can generate audio from text. Three-day free trial then $139 a year. You must cancel or you’ll be billed.
- Eightify (https://eightify.app/). This tool summarizes YouTube videos and includes links to key segments. Three free per week and then a cost.
- Summarize Tech (https://www.summarize.tech/). This tool summarizes YouTube videos and includes links to key segments. Unlimited use but not as thorough as Eightify.
- Starry AI (https://starryai.com/): This tool is a free online tool that allows users to create AI-generated avatars from their photos or drawings. 5 free credits.
- FacePlay: This tool is a free app (phone only) that allows users to create AI-generated avatars from their photos.
AI Food for Thought
OpenAI: Kahn Academy Explore the use GPT-4, March 2023
Edutopia: 6 Ways to use ChatGPT to save time, March 2023
Educause: Quick AI poll results in education, May 2023
New York Times: How AI is helping architects change workplace design, June 2023
Stephen Downes: AI and general education blog updates, ongoing 2023
Linkedin Learning, Many AI courses to choose from, ongoing 2019-present
IEEE Spectrum: The Internet isn’t completely weird yet. AI can fix that, June 2023
Imperfect Offerings: Risks to teaching as work, July 2023
Code Acts in Education: Degenerative AI in education, June 2023
The Human Artistry Campaign: Creative works shape our identity, 2023
The Intercept: As actors strike Netflix lists AI job for $900,000, July 2023
Gary Marcus: The Road to AI we can Trust, June 2023
Emily Bender: Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, June 2023
David Golumbia: ChatGPT Should Not Exist, December 2022
Faculty Focus: Essential considerations for Addressing the Possibility of AI-Driven Cheating, Part 1, August 2, 2023
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations, May 2023
The University of Edinburgh: Tilting at Windmills (educational assessment), June 2023
Senate Judiciary Committee on AI and Copyright, YouTube video, July 2023
SpringOpen: A Comprehensive Policy for an AI Educational Policy Framework, 2023
Bryan Alexander: What are campuses doing about AI this Fall semester?, July 2023
Other AI Policy Resources + Syllabus Examples
This wording is an example of what is used at other colleges:
Cheating includes any attempt to give or obtain unauthorized assistance relating to the completion of an academic assignment. This includes using ChatGPT, Gemini, Co-Pilot, Claude.ai, or other generative AI tools to complete assignments unless otherwise specified by the instructor.
- Guidance for Syllabus Statements about AI Use
Center for Teaching and Learning | Oregon State University - Syllabus Statements | AI, Pedagogy, and Academic Integrity
Portland State University - Chat-GPT Syllabus Statement Guidance
Temple University - Sample Syllabus Statements Regarding AI and Chat GPT – Center for Teaching Excellence
Bryant University - What should a syllabus statement on AI look like?
The Institute for Learning and Teaching | Colorado State University
Last Updated January 14, 2025