The NSAA board approved a new speech manual that introduces guidelines on artificial intelligence that will affect the way students and judges can use the technology.
The manual’s guidelines aim to limit the use of AI to “limited support tools for brainstorming, research, organization, editing, and instructional support” for students while also discouraging its use on the judges table during performance evaluation.
Taryn Retzlaff, assistant director for the NSAA, spoke on the recent changes and what they mean for students. She acknowledged its increased usage by students in schools but expressed that the guidelines should keep AI from becoming more than just a tool for research and support in creating final products.
“We want to showcase student creativity, decision making. We get that artificial intelligence tools are readily available, we just want to make sure that they’re being used as support tools,” she said. “What it shouldn’t do is cross that line of replacing student work with the work of AI.”
In addition, the manual asks judges to refrain from using artificial intelligence to generate final decisions, rankings or comments: “Judging must be based on the performance observed, the applicable NSAA ballot/rubric, and the judge’s own professional evaluation.”
Retzlaff highlighted how the guidelines should encourage judges to continue forming their own comments on student work and performances, avoiding “canned comments” that could come from the use of generative AI.
She also indicated that recent changes were made in response to similar regulations on AI in other parts of the country.
“There has been a trend in more and more state associations developing these types of policies," she said. "It’s guidance for our schools to follow, and it tells what we view as proper AI use.”