The Director of Academic Affairs at the University of Ghana, Mrs. Lydia Anowa Nyako-Danquah, has advised students to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly, cautioning against becoming overly dependent on the technology at the expense of developing their own academic skills.
Her remarks come after the University approved a new Artificial Intelligence Policy aimed at providing a structured, inclusive, and forward-looking framework to guide the use of AI across the institution.
The policy was informed by findings from a university-wide survey which identified several challenges to AI adoption, including inadequate training, limited access to AI tools, concerns about inaccurate responses, academic integrity issues, and the ethical use of AI technologies.
Speaking on Campus Exclusive on Radio Univers, Mrs. Nyako-Danquah stressed the importance of critical engagement with AI tools rather than blind reliance on them.
“Students, as emerging scholars in the digital age, are expected to engage with AI critically rather than with blind reliance because they are here to learn and to grow,” she said.
She urged students to independently verify information generated by AI systems and to continue developing their critical thinking, writing, and problem-solving abilities.
“The key responsibility for students is to make sure that information they get from AI is well verified. They should independently verify any AI information provided and avoid overreliance. Students are expected to continue developing their own critical thinking, writing, and problem-solving skills. AI should not replace the learning process,” she stated.
Mrs. Nyako-Danquah also warned students against sharing sensitive information on public AI platforms, noting the potential risks associated with data privacy and security.
“Students should be cautious not to put out sensitive personal data, passwords, and unpublished research into public AI systems,” she advised.
While cautioning against overdependence, she noted that the University permits the use of AI as a learning aid and recognises its potential to enhance academic work when used responsibly.
According to her, students may use AI tools for writing assistance, brainstorming, literature reviews, and improving productivity.
“AI, in general, is supposed to be a learning aid. It should help with writing assistance. You can use tools like Grammarly for grammar and spelling corrections. It is also useful for brainstorming ideas, conducting literature reviews, and organising your thoughts,” she explained.
However, she emphasised that the University draws a clear line when it comes to academic misconduct, particularly the submission of AI-generated work as a student’s original effort.
“We want to make sure that students use AI transparently. You can use it to support your work, but you have to name the specific tool and explain how you used it. For instance, if you used ChatGPT to generate an initial outline, you have to indicate that,” she said.
She further encouraged students to properly cite AI-assisted contributions where necessary and disclose the methods through which AI tools were used in their academic work.
Mrs. Nyako-Danquah stressed that students remain fully accountable for any work submitted under their names, regardless of the extent of AI assistance involved.
“Students should be accountable for the work for which they use AI. You cannot go back and say it was not you who did it. Once you put your name on any work outcome, it is yours. Even though AI helped you, you have to be responsible for that work,” she concluded.
The University’s AI Policy forms part of broader efforts to promote responsible innovation while safeguarding academic integrity and ensuring that emerging technologies enhance, rather than undermine, teaching, learning, and research.
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Story by Erica Odeenyin Odoom | univers.ug.edu.gh
