Nagaland University trains 120 PhD scholars on ethical use of AI

Lumami, October 11 (MExN): The Central Library of Nagaland University organised an offline training programme on the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research, with 120 PhD scholars participating.The programme, titled “Ethical Adoption of AI Tools in Research: Navigating Books, Journals and Scholarly Communication”, was conducted under the NU Start-Up Project (2024-26), led by Principal Investigator Dr Chanlang Ki Bareh.The inaugural session was moderated by Er Ochenstungba Ozukum, Information Scientist, and attended by Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Prof Jagadish K Patnaik as the chief guest, along with Prof Bendang Ao, Director of the Research and Development Cell; Dr Kevezai Tureng, Director of the College Development Council; faculty members and research scholars.In his keynote address, Deputy Librarian Dr T Temjen encouraged scholars to use AI responsibly and cautioned them against inaccurate AI-generated responses and fabricated citations.Patnaik, reflecting on his research experience at Queen's University in Kingston in the early 1990s, recalled a time when researchers relied on a 40 MB computer and physical library catalogue cards to locate books and articles.He noted that modern AI tools offered speed and convenience but also raised ethical questions, including how to interpret similarity reports and distinguish acceptable from unacceptable uses of AI.He emphasised that research supervisors and PhD scholars alike should be equipped to use AI effectively and urged faculty members to exercise sound judgement in deciding when and for what purposes such tools should be used.The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Gyati Yam, Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry.The technical session, led by Dr Chanlang Ki Bareh, Assistant Librarian, featured demonstrations of research-support tools, large language models and other AI applications, including SciSpace, Elicit, Litmaps, Research Rabbit, Gemini, ChatGPT and QuillBot.Ozukum also demonstrated the registration process for the QuillBot premium service provided by the university.Bareh discussed the responsible use of AI throughout the research process, from brainstorming and literature searches to data analysis and peer review. He outlined appropriate uses, disclosure requirements and prohibited practices, warning against fabricated citations, uploading sensitive or unpublished material to public AI tools, and relying on AI to analyse or interpret research findings on behalf of scholars.He also cautioned that excessive reliance on AI could weaken researchers' critical thinking and analytical skills.The programme concluded with remarks by Jailei Konyak, Semi-Professional Assistant. Certificates were presented to all 120 participants, followed by an interactive discussion.