7 Practical steps of balancing Innovation and Integrity in AI usage

 By Okechukwu Onuegbu

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to shape global conversations, concerns about potential infringements on intellectual property have become increasingly prominent. Therefore, there is need for you to explore seven practical strategies to navigate these challenges.

The key steps are:

1. Familiarise yourself with the tool:

Always try to understand whichever AI tool or chatbot you wish to use. Check the About section, information section, and other features of the App. Try to study the users guide, Users reviews (people reviews), including their policy statements. All these and lots more, will help you to learn more about them and make inform decision. 

2. Sign in only when comfortable:

Sign in or up to the App once you are comfortable with what you have seen or about to explore. You may wish to use sign up using the Email or Gmail rather than signing up directly with your email account. This is because some of these Apps can store your data automatically and someone could get access from that and use it against you in future. In all, signing up or in will help you to enjoy the AI tool much better.

3. Introduce yourself appropriately:

It is advisable to introduce yourself properly while interacting with the Application. As you introduce yourself, the AI App will become more aware of what you want, who you are or what you can do with it. You may not have to give out your details for privacy sake. But a little introduction like my name is Okechukwu or I am a journalist, I need your assistance in my research as a student, etc. can go a lot way in making the machine to understand you more and tailor it answers accordingly. 

4. Be cautious with your content:

Try to be original by editing your account after generating them from the AI. Did not just use them verbatim. Add more facts, restructure the tenses, use antonyms and synonyms where possible, etc. to avoid copyright and other unethical issues. Do not just give out your materials to them because they may copy your work and when you check in a detection software, it will show that you copied. 

5. Understand detection risks:

Most institutions are using AI tools to detect copied works. So, try to be original, creative and innovative always.

6. Do not rely solely on AI outputs for originality:

Always check or consult other databases and sources. Relying only on Ai may be counterproductive.

7. Consult additional resources:

You can use Google and other search engines, consult well established websites and journals to confirm if those sources quoted are correct or not, etc.