Please note that courses at LSE will have different policies on generative AI usage; these policies apply to the Phelan US Centre 2025 Master’s Students Essay Competition only.
The ways in which the use of generative AI tools is permitted, as well as where you cannot use them as part of the essay competition are outlined below:
- You may use AI tools for grammar and spellchecks to improve the overall readability of work that is initially and originally composed by the individual student alone.
- You may use generative AI to create an outline for your essay competition submission, but the submitted essay must be original work produced by the individual student alone. It is not permitted to use text produced by any generative AI system in your essay competition submission. Apart from spelling and grammar, generative AI tools should not be used to alter or improve the content of essay competition submissions.
- AI tools may be useful when gathering information from across sources and assimilating it for understanding to inform your essay submission. Generative AI tools may be used to assist with searches for relevant literature, to assist in your understanding of terms or concepts, and to direct further research. If used, these tools should supplement, not replace, the reading and research you conduct to inform your essay submission.
- Please note that generative AI is not considered an academic or peer-reviewed source for the purposes of this essay competition and the product of a generative AI search cannot be quoted or relied upon in an essay competition submission as a source of supporting statements and arguments made in the essay submission.
Although the Phelan US Centre allows limited use of generative AI in essay competition submissions, as detailed above, when relying on the result of such tools, students must exercise care and apply independent scholarly judgment, caution and scepticism. AI-generated content tends to be generic and can often contain errors, hallucinations, or be incomplete or biased in different ways. Please remember that, if reproduced without due diligence, the outputs of generative AI can also bring reputational risk to both its user and to LSE. Students should also be aware that the use of generative AI at the research and planning stage can limit creative and critical thinking and impede the development of original ideas.
Please note that using generative AI for any academic work where its use is not permitted is a form of academic misconduct.
If you have any questions about the use of generative AI tools in essay competition submissions, then please email the Phelan US Centre at uscentre@lse.ac.uk before the essay competition deadline.
Generative AI at LSE: resources and tools
As a student at LSE, you have access to Microsoft’s generative AI tool, Copilot, for free. Please ensure you understand how to use Copilot effectively and responsibly in your studies, using our guidance.
To help you further develop your understanding, you can attend a workshop run by the Digital Skills Lab on maximising the benefits and mitigating the risks of Copilot and there is also a Moodle course on developing your AI literacy.
The Copilot workshop and AI literacy Moodle course can also help prepare you for the world of work, by ensuring you have the generative AI skills you’ll need to support your future career aspirations.