Generative AI Guidelines by/for Engineering Undergraduates

The emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) has posed significant challenges to various institutions since its launch. The education sector, in particular, requires an urgent regulatory framework. This work provides guidelines for the incorporation of GenAI into the teaching-learning process of undergraduate students, in which generative tools are promising to revolutionize both their academic and professional trajectories. Despite ongoing debates among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) decision-makers on whether GenAI should be used for education, students are at odds on the prohibition of its use. Instead, they promptly provided specific recommendations for their peers, after a workshop on AI basics, GenAI applications, and analysis. Five student groups of divergent engineering fields collaboratively proposed usage guidelines for ChatGPT in the learning-teaching process. The authors categorized, compared, and consolidated these into a Decalogue of Use. Employing a qualitative methodology, these guidelines were contrasted with those issued by four institutions: UNESCO, Universidad de los Andes, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Universidad Iberoamericana. Notably, these institutions concurred with students in only five out of the ten guidelines. These guidelines are of broad nature and therefore applicable across various sectors within HEIs. HEIs, as other governmental and international institutions, have been lagging in developing and implementing regulatory frameworks for GenAI, in contrast to the rapid advancement of this technology. This work offers valuable insights into students’ perceptions of GenAI use. Such evidence is instrumental for HEIs in making informed decisions regarding the regulations of these tools. Our findings encourage not only HEIs but also organizations and decision-makers to propagate the debate about ethical GenAI usage to different societal sectors. Promisingly, working as a community will empower us to make the best and pertinent decisions regarding the adoption of GenAI and other future emergent technologies.