If your information is not sourced, or if you want to cross-check the source provided by an AI tool, visit reputable sources and compare. The databases below are great places to start, provided to you by the library. For further reading on evaluating sources, check out this simple guide from Purdue OWL or this in-depth guide from Harvard.
Full text reports on "hot issues in the news" with statistics, chronologies, bibliographies, and more.
A lot of AI chatbots have begun integrating sources into their outputs. In that case, follow the provided links and determine if the information is from a reliable source. If you want tips on identifying a reputable online source, check out our guide on Fake News.
If you're feeling stuck identifying the reliability of AI sourced information: contact the library. We offer reference and research assistance and can provide guidance in best practices for verifying information.
Overreliance occurs when you stop scrutinizing information produced by AI tools and accept incorrect responses. You can prevent overreliance on AI by exercising your AI literacy skills, staying mindful of AI flaws, and verifying information you obtain in an output.
Overreliance can affect you now, as a student, and will have lasting effects on your ability to function in your future career. According to a study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University: allowing AI to produce work or make decisions for you weakens your critical thinking skills — arguably your most valuable cognitive asset. Remember, AI is not capable of real intelligence, but you are. The common ground humans share with AI is that we often make mistakes.
A hallucination occurs when an AI tool misinterprets a pattern and predicts an inaccurate connection of data, which ends up in the output. Common examples include anatomical anomalies seen in AI generated images. Hallucinations can happen in text outputs as well, creating statements that are explicitly or subtly inaccurate. To complicate things further, AI can fabricate data and present it to you confidently, which is why you always verify information received from AI.