We’ve recently been part of more and more discussions around the uses of Generative AI as, or in, Assistive Technology.
Grammarly has emerged as a key tool in this discussion due to its unique combination of being a well-established assistive tool, with an existing student and learner userbase, available to users 16+, that has made its generative AI features available free of charge.
In this blog, we want to explore Grammarly and its generative AI functionality further and consider how we can manage use of its new generative capabilities while ensuring that students and learners are not disadvantaged by restricting access to this supportive tool.
Looking at the generative AI features in Grammarly
Grammarly released its generative AI features back in March 2023. They describe the features collectively as an ‘AI writing assistant’ intended to support the user in communicating more effectively but still in their own voice.
The features involve a chatbot style window where users can select from suggested prompts, e.g., ‘Generate ideas for a blog post’, ‘Make it more detailed’, or write their own. They can transform text they have written, adjusting the tone, length and structure and generate new text to insert. Alongside this are controls to set ‘My voice’ where the user can give general instructions to Grammarly on the style of output they want, including the level of formality, tone profile, and the user’s profession.
Free vs Premium
Grammarly offers 100 prompts per month and “essentials to start writing with AI assistance” for free users.
Premium users get 10x the prompts – 1,000 per month, and “robust AI assistance with advanced writing suggestions”.
Transparency of generative features
There can be a concern when generative AI features are integrated into existing tools that users may inadvertently use these without being aware of it, and potentially in a way that is inappropriate for their work. Within Grammarly the generative features are clearly identifiable to the user. In the Grammarly app users access the prompt window via a ‘Generative AI’ button with a lightbulb icon.
In their browser and desktop apps, the lightbulb icon again identifies the generative AI features to the user. Though these are arguably a bit less transparent – the options are labelled more on what they do e.g., ‘Rewrite with Grammarly’, however, the prompt window that appears is identical.
Turning off Generative features
Individual users
Grammarly does allow individual users to disable the generative AI features on their own account. This is under the settings > Feature customization tab.
Users can return to this setting and re-enable the features at any time.
Grammarly for Education
Grammarly for Education subscribers can also disable generative AI features and they will be disabled by default. This has to be done at the administrator level and can’t be changed by individual users. It is also done at a team level only, therefore it can’t be switched off only for some users.
To our knowledge most students and learners in the UK access Grammarly through individual accounts rather than the education version at this time.
Responsible use features
‘Review your AI use’ prompt
If you input a prompt that Grammarly identifies as relating to an academic assessment – for instance by use of the words ‘essay’ or ‘assignment’, it will in turn prompt the user with a message to review their use of generative AI. This includes suggested rephrases of the prompts which typically focus more on idea generation and planning than generating large amounts of text.
An example warning from Grammarly:
“It seems you may be asking Grammarly to write your assignment for you. Many instructors don’t allow this, so please check your academic guidelines. You can still use Grammarly to support your writing process. Try a prompt designed for students:
Brainstorm topics for my assignment”
Acknowledge Grammarly gen AI use
Grammarly also supports users with an ‘Acknowledge Grammarly gen AI use’ button which will outline the prompts they have used in their writing session.
Lastly, they also offer a free course for students on responsible generative AI use – AI for Students.
Grammarly and assessment
The key questions emerging are around how to handle a tool like Grammarly when considering the use of generative AI for assessments. The tool is a popular assistive technology, well used and depended upon by many students and learners, however it’s additional generative AI capabilities may be beyond what we would want students and learners to use in an assessment.
Maintaining your users’ rights to use Grammarly as they have done previously
Foremostly, we advise that students and learners should continue to be able to use Grammarly’s non-generative AI features in the same way they have done previously.
Although technically the generative features cannot be permanently removed from individual Grammarly accounts, the tool itself should not be banned on this basis as this would restrict users from also accessing the parts of the service they have previously been able to use.
Grammarly’s interface makes it clear to users where these features sit within their service, they are clearly marked within the ‘generative AI’ tab and the platform promotes acknowledging use of the features. It is less likely therefore that a user could accidentally use a generative AI feature. If this was a potential area of concern, they can be provided with clear instruction on how to disable the generative AI features within their account.
In controlled assessment
Conditions for controlled assessments may require that the generative features are more securely restricted.
Options to explore:
- Accessing Grammarly via an Education for Grammarly license which allows administrative control over the generative AI features. Institutions need to contact Grammarly directly for pricing for their institution.
- Seeking alternatives to Grammarly that fulfill the grammar/spell checking/suggestion functions to the same degree but do not provide generative AI features. However, this could be inconvenient and potentially even distressing for the student or learner.
- Seeking technical controls to restrict the generative AI functionality more assuredly
E.g., Setting up a locked down browser which provides access to required word processing tools with the Grammarly app enabled, but wouldn’t allow access to the Grammarly settings portal.
Grammarly’s Generative AI features and acceptable use
There remains though more to consider here, the generative AI features within Grammarly present opportunities for a whole new level of writing support for our students and learners, with the potential for particularly strong benefits for some neurodivergent and disabled users.
There needs to be further discussion therefore of where the use of Grammarly’s generative features sits when we consider what is acceptable use of generative AI for students and learners – there may be many instances where such use is acceptable and enriches student’s experiences.
Notably, these new capabilities are not unique to Grammarly, we’re familiar now with the same writing support features offered in Google Docs, the Microsoft Office suite and more. These are not yet as widely adopted or accessible to students and learners though due to several key factors including licensing options, age restrictions and cost. However, we anticipate that services with similar features will become more accessible to the education sector in time.
As such, we believe further discussion in this area is needed and are keen to hear from practitioners in the sector about their views and experiences. If you are interested, please get in touch to AI@Jisc.ac.uk
Find out more by visiting our Artificial Intelligence page to view publications and resources, join us for events and discover what AI has to offer through our range of interactive online demos.
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Get in touch with the team directly at AI@jisc.ac.uk