Navigating AI in 4-H: what's acceptable?
We will consider all appropriate and ethical uses of AI in completing your 4-H project work. You can think of ways to apply this to the rest of your life, too!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology allows computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Many AI tools can help you be more successful with your 4-H projects. However, there are times when these tools should not be used. Some people describe AI like a hammer. You can use it to make amazing things or to destroy them. The choice is yours.
What is AI?
Discussion
Chat with your club leader or some of your 4-H friends about artificial intelligence. Answer these questions together.
What are some ways that AI can be helpful?
When might using AI be considered dishonest or inappropriate?
Let's Think it Through
Many AI tools can help you be more successful with your 4-H project. However, there are times when these tools shouldn’t be used. While AI can be a helpful tool, knowing when to use it and when to rely on your skills and creativity is essential.
In this activity, you'll decide when to use AI and when to do the work yourself. Think about each task and place an X in the column you think is correct. Ask yourself: Can I use AI to help me? OR should the work be 100% mine? Example: Can I use AI to help me with my project, or should the work be 100% my own?
AI is ok
Buyer Letter
Auctioneer Statement
This should be my work
4-H Activity Sheets for Record Books
A mix of ai and my work is ok
Developing a Resume
Planning a Workshop
Writing an Essay (Bookend this, it's ok to use AI to brainstorm and to check grammar, not write it for you)
Study for Skill-a-thon, CDE, or test
My fair project (Cite your sources, including AI, and bookend, brainstorm, and check grammar, do your own work)
Create a video - Be careful, don't upload your images to AI unless you are using a secure LLM
Researching a career
Things to Think About
Many people use AI as a tool to make the mundane parts of their work (school, jobs, or even 4-H) faster and easier. The question is, does it help you learn new things and grow as a person? If you rely on a calculator to do all your math, you still have to understand the procedures and formulas behind it, or you won't know if the answer is correct as things get more complex. Is the same true when you use Artificial Intelligence? What can you do to ensure you are still growing and learning?
dive deeper into how to use AI ethically and responsibly
As you are using AI, think of it as a bookend. Use it to start your research and your brainstorming, then write your own content. After your project is finished, use it to check formatting, grammar, and correctness. Even if all you use it for is to find sources, make sure you include it in your works cited list.
AI Use Agreement
When you are faced with an ethical dilemma, it's always easier to make good choices if you have a plan. When we have to decide the right times to use AI, making a plan will help us make good decisions. Please find a trusted adult to talk through these ideas with as you fill out the worksheet.
When AI Use is Allowed:
☐ Brainstorming ideas
☐ Organizing or outlining work
☐ Editing for clarity (with disclosure)
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
When AI Use is Not Allowed
☐ Completing assignments or assessments
☐ Submitting AI-generated work as original
☐ Replacing student thinking
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
AI may be used to support learning by:
(Things to think about: How can I improve my skills, both in using AI and in the task I'm working on? Who will be affected by what I create?)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Transparency Expectations
When I use AI, I agree to:
☐ Name the tool
☐ Explain how it helped
☐ Show my own thinking
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
☐ Other: _________________________________
Now share and discuss your plan with your class or club. Does everyone in your group have the same expectations when using AI? Is that important?
HOW DO I CITE THINGS I LEARNED WHILE USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
We checked with Purdue Owl and have some very specific guidelines for you. Keep in mind as you are following them that its more important to document that you used a source, if you cited a source and made a mistake, that's MUCH better than not citing your sources.Guideline: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt
APA format: Author. (Date).Title (Month Day version) [Additional Descriptions ]. Source
Author: The author of the model.
Date: The year of the version.
Title: The name of the model. The version number is included after the title in parentheses.
Bracketed text: References for additional descriptions
Source: When the publisher and author names are identical, omit the publisher name in the source element of the reference and proceed directly to the URL.
APA reference entry: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Feb 13 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
APA in-text citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
Example 1 from APA Guideline
When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).
Reference
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Example 2 from APA Guideline
When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).
Reference
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Guideline: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/
Template
“Your prompt text” prompt. ChatGPT, [version if available], OpenAI, Day Month Year, URL.
Tips
- If your prompt is long, shorten it
- If no shareable link,vuse general URL
- If AI helped you find sources, cite the original sources, not AI
“Explain the concept of AI bias in simple terms” prompt. ChatGPT, OpenAI, 10 Mar. 2026, https://chat.openai.com/. (standard)
“Explain the concept of AI bias in simple terms” prompt. ChatGPT, GPT-4o, OpenAI, 10 Mar. 2026, https://chat.openai.com/. (if version is available)
“Explain AI bias…” prompt. ChatGPT, OpenAI, 10 Mar. 2026, https://chat.openai.com/. (long prompt)
In Text Citation
(“Explain AI bias…”)
Experiment Time!
Let's do a quick experiment. Choose your favorite 4-H project and write a paragraph about that topic. Think about what you've learned in the past, how it made you feel, and things you may want to learn more about while writing. What are your goals for the project?
Now that you have that paragraph, ask your favorite large language model (ChatGPT or Gemini are good choices) to write a paragraph about the same topic. Which is more informative? Which is more interesting? Did AI meet your goals, or did you meet your goals? What will you do in the future?
Share what you've learned with your 4-H Club or a trusted adult.