There are so many people out there trying to understand AI and occasionally I hear from one of them. This week, Sadie Price reached out to share information about AI Guardrails. I was not familiar with the concept, but it is an important part of understanding what we can do with AI. It can be pretty invasive and we can come to trust it too much. “AI models don’t inherently understand context, morality, or legality; they optimize based on data patterns. Without proper oversight, they amplify bias, fabricate information, or mishandle confidential data. AI guardrails serve as the safety layer that prevents these risks from escalating into real-world consequences.”
One of my primary goals with this site is to help establish the guardrails we will use at Ranger College to help our students get the most out of AI without crossing any lines. Typically, at this level, we are talking about plagiarism but there are a lot of other issues that could crop up, like those listed above – bias, confidentiality, or fabrication.
“AI guardrails are a combination of technical mechanisms, policies, and ethical guidelines that ensure that AI systems behave in ways that reflect human values and organizational standards.” Like all products, however, it is up to the manufacturer/creator as well as the user to ensure those guardrails are in place. Legislation is very far behind reality in the case of AI. It is up to us to choose appropriate AI tools that fit our mission and serve our students and to teach students how to use those tools appropriately.
https://markup.ai/blog/ai-guardrails-definition-benefits/