This guide is intended as a self-service starting point for researchers curious about the implications of using generative AI in their research or wanting to plan a generative AI research project. It includes contributions from a variety of stakeholders at and beyond Yale Library, including but not limited to those specifically mentioned in this guide.

This guide neither recommends for nor against the use of generative AI tools in research.

If you have questions or need more support, feel free to email or book a consultation.

Generative AI (GAI) is the general term applied to AI tools or systems that create some kind of output in response to a prompt—for example, images, video, or text. GAI tools have become more popular in the last few years as their output has improved.

Yale has a variety of resources and services that can support researchers interested in using GAI in their work, including at the Library. Note that there are also many other kinds of machine learning or AI research that happen on campus, including other work using generative models; this research guide focuses specifically on GAI tools.

This guide is divided into three tabs: input, output, and tools. Each tab provides sections summarizing some key concerns researchers may wish to address prior to (or while) embarking on a research project using GAI tools.