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Artificial Intelligence Information & Resources from JMU Libraries

JMU Libraries offers a variety of ways for faculty, staff, and students to learn about artificial intelligence (AI), critically examine its implications and effects, and use it appropriately in their work.  We invite you to connect with us for consultations related to AI in research, teaching, and learning—and to explore the learning resources we’ve curated here for you. 

AI at JMU 

JMU IT provides Microsoft CoPilot Chat, a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool with commercial data protections, as an approved GenAI resource for JMU students, staff, and faculty.  

Learn more about the university’s approach to AI on the Artificial Intelligence at JMU page or visit the IT Training Course Listings page for workshops from IT. 

What Is Generative AI? 

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. These tasks include reasoning, learning, problem solving, perception, and language processing. AI systems can be rule-based and learn from data, enabling the systems to adapt and potentially improve over time. 

Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of AI that can create new content, such as text, images, music, or videos, based on patterns learned from existing data, like large language models (LLMs). GenAI uses techniques such as deep learning and natural language processing (NLP) to generate outputs that resemble the existing data it was provided (or “trained” on) in its development, often producing novel results.  

How do GenAI tools differ from search engines? 

Generative AI tools and search engines may seem similar to each other, but they serve distinct purposes and operate differently: 

  • Generative AI tools can create new content, such as text, images, music, or videos, based on the input (existing data) and prompts (directions from the user) that are provided. These tools use complex algorithms and vast amounts of data to generate responses that can be creative, contextually relevant, and tailored to specific needs. 
  • Search engines are designed to retrieve and rank existing information from the web, based on metrics of precision and relevance. They use indexing and ranking algorithms to provide users with relevant links or information from existing web pages; no new content is created. 

Note: Some information on this page is based on Guidance for the Use of Generative AI from UCLA