Navigating AI at Rutgers: Resources and Workshops for You

A recent study from the Lumina Foundation-Gallup on the state of U.S. higher education in 2026 found that 57 percent of U.S. college students are using artificial intelligence in their coursework weekly, and one in five use it daily. Students reported that they were using AI to understand complex material and save time. The top reason students gave for avoiding it was ethical concerns. Another recent study from Inside Higher Ed’s Student Voice revealed that students are aware of the ethical implications of the development of AI and its use and are particularly concerned about overreliance and cognitive decline attributed to overuse and about the impact of AI on their future job prospects. However, students want their universities to provide training on the responsible and effective use of AI and to prepare them for an AI-enabled workplace.

The good news is that Rutgers offers an ever-increasing amount of resources and support for learning how to use AI responsibly and effectively while acknowledging there are many concerns to address. Among the support structures in place across the university, Rutgers University Libraries have a dedicated AI team as part of their Research Support Services. The Libraries’ AI team is a group of librarians actively researching and teaching AI literacy in the context of learning, research, and ethics. The team has developed comprehensive resources for the AI-curious as well as the AI-skeptical, from beginners to those that are actively integrating AI into their daily work and lives.

AI at Rutgers Resources

Start with the universitywide Artificial Intelligence at Rutgers page, which lays out acceptable-use and academic-integrity policy alongside the AI tools Rutgers has licensed for you. These university-licensed tools, such as Microsoft Copilot Chat, Google Gemini, and more all have data-privacy protections that keep your work out of model training. From there, the Libraries’ Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI Features in Major Databases & Platforms guides walk you through what AI can and can’t do in research, teaching, and publishing, as well as where it’s already built into the library databases you are familiar with. 

Workshop Series from the Libraries’ AI Team

This fall semester, the Research Support Services AI team is starting a workshop series that reflects the range of questions students and faculty are asking: not just how to use AI, but when not to, and how to use it responsibly and ethically. All events are free and open to all Rutgers students, faculty, and staff. You can find and register for these events on the Rutgers University Libraries calendar of events or via the available links below. Email the AI team at ask_research@libraries.rutgers.edu.

• Avoiding AI: October 9, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• The Environmental Impact of AI: October 14, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• A Guide to the Ethical Implications of Generative AI: November 3, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Evaluating AI Output: How to Discern Accuracy, Reasoning, and Framing: November 10, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Managing References in the Age of AI: Promises and Pitfalls: November 12, noon to 1 p.m.
• Incorporating AI in Research, Literature Review, and Classroom Assignments: November 20, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Using AI for Document Analysis: TBD (Check our calendar of events for upcoming details.)
• Transcribing Handwriting with AI: TBD (Check our calendar of events upcoming details)
• Transcribing Scientific Notation and Visual Material with AI: TBD (Check our calendar of events upcoming details)