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AI might help you focus on meaningful core work
New research shows how AI tools might transform academic productivity by enabling knowledge workers to focus more on core intellectual work while reducing administrative burden. Like software developers using GitHub Copilot, academics can leverage AI to streamline workflows, work more autonomously, and explore new research directions – particularly benefiting early-career researchers.
New online course on Generative AI for Academics
The introduction of generative AI into our workflows presents both an exciting opportunity and a significant challenge. However, because of the unique nature of large language models, it can be difficult to know exactly how to integrate them into our existing areas of practice. The aim of the course is to help academics develop a…
Simple guide to writing effective AI prompts
Generative AI is sometimes touted as a potential solution to some of the administrative tasks that keep us from the creative work we find most meaningful. However, getting language models to understand and execute on these tasks requires writing effective AI prompts. In this video I describe a simple framework for prompt writing that can…
Interacting with PDFs in Copilot using Edge
In this short video I demonstrate how to interact with PDFs using the Copilot sidebar built into the Edge browser. I wasn’t clear in the video, but you will only have access to the data protection feature if your institution has an Enterprise license. However, the access to Copilot is generally available through Edge for…
Precise AI prompts lead to better outputs
Precise AI prompts lead to contextually relevant, clear, and comprehensive outputs. Vague AI prompts lead to vague outputs One of the more common complaints I hear from my colleagues who have experimented with generative AI is the perceived generic or vague nature of the responses they get. And this frustration often stems from a misunderstanding…
Non-academic prompts for generative AI
Experiment with non-academic prompts for generative AI, to sidestep concerns about plagiarism and academic integrity. There is too much noise about the potential of generative AI to support cheating and plagiarism. Which is why I wanted to share few examples of low-stakes experiments for anyone interested in generative AI but who is nervous about getting…
Generative AI and writing first drafts
Generative AI is a great way to get started writing your first drafts. I like to think that I’m a decent writer and that I do a reasonable job of putting one word after the other. But that doesn’t mean I find it easy to put words on the page. Far from it. Writing is…
Using conversational and structured AI prompts
Using both conversational and structured AI prompts can lead to more confident task delegation, which enhances academic productivity. Well-crafted prompts are key to unlocking the full potential of large language models (LLMs) and AI assistants for academic productivity. Just as clear communication is crucial when working with people, learning to write effective prompts allows you…
Getting started with generative AI
A few basic ideas and prompts to start experimenting with language models. At this point, it seems reasonable to assume that almost everyone has heard about the threat to assessment that’s posed by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and all the other language models that are becoming available. However, it’s less clear how they might impact…