How can generative AI be a strong intellectual partner in your studies?

In the video below, Camilla Finsterbach Kaup, PhD, Associate Professor shows how you can use AI to understand complex academic texts, sharpen your curiosity and strengthen critical thinking, while maintaining control over the pitfalls and limitations of the technology.

Based on her research with university students and with a practice-oriented perspective, Camilla Finsterbach Kaup focuses on how AI can function as a partner in your academic work and not replace human thinking. Instead, we must work to support and strengthen learning and critical reflection. Particularly when the technology is used in a structured process.

Despite the challenges of AI being a "black box", having built-in bias, hallucinations, and the importance of understanding how the systems actually work, Camilla encourages us to leave guilt and fear behind and instead focus on judgment, transparency and academic use.

A key message is that AI should not be a shortcut, but a thinking partner, a tool that can support dialogue, challenge assumptions and help create knowledge in community.

A chatbot that doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear... 

Get more out of your project work with a Socratic PBL Copilot agent. Instead of serving up ready-made solutions, this agent acts as a critical partner, challenging your choices and tries to support your academic development.

A Copilot agent is an AI chatbot that has been assigned a predetermined role and specific instructions (a system prompt). It acts as a specialized assistant; it already knows its framework and purpose, so you don't have to instruct it from scratch and can jump straight to the task itself.

Among other things, the agent can help you:

• Sharpen your problem statement and identify blind spots
• Strengthen your methodological and theoretical argumentation
• Reflect on both the direction of the project and your own learning outcomes
• Work iteratively from the first ideas to the final discussion

The tool is based directly on AAU's PBL model and is designed to stimulate your independent thinking and responsible use of generative AI.

You can ask simple or advanced questions; you can upload working papers or your entire project report and ask about the text.

Add the agent to your AAU Copilot account

Keep in mind that the answers provided by the agent are AI-generated and therefore may contain errors or erroneous recommendations. Always consult your supervisor if you are unsure whether to follow its recommendations.

Learn how to use generative AI critically, safely, and transparently

In this presentation, Helle Brink of Aalborg University Library provides an introduction to a number of modules that help you use generative AI critically and responsibly in your academic work.

The presentation covers everything from good academic practice and transparency to data security, copyright, prompts, and the human and technological biases that affect output. Through specific examples and practical advice, Helle explains what data you can upload, how to declare the use of AI, how to avoid cognitive traps, and how to develop stronger prompt and evaluation skills.

AI as sparring in job search and career paths 

Here, the career counsellors at AAU have gathered inspiration on how you can use AI for sparring in career development and job search in Denmark. 
AI can be a useful tool when you want to explore opportunities, put your profile into words, and better understand the Danish labour market – which may be very different from what you’re used to.  
AI can be helpful, but it cannot fully know you, your experience or your goals. Use AI for sparring, not as a final answer. 

You can, for example, use AI to

• understand your competencies and possible career paths more clearly
• tailor your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile
• analyse job ads and prepare for job interviews
• research organisations and prepare questions for career fairs
• find relevant places to look for jobs and project-oriented courses.

Danish employers want to get a sense of who you are 

Career paths and job search are personal, and AI is often general. Use its suggestions as inspiration and always assess them critically. 
For many international students, it can be surprising how much Danish employers value motivation, curiosity, and a sense of who you are as a person. They want to understand why you are interested in the role and what you can contribute. They will notice when an application becomes too generic.  
Make sure your approach reflect you and your genuine interest in that particular organisation. 
  

Read more about job and internship

Meet AI LAB! AAU's supercomputer for students that takes your projects far beyond what your laptop can handle

AI LAB is Aalborg University's high-performance computing platform developed for students and teaching staff who work on demanding AI, machine learning and data-intensive projects. In this video, Frederik Petri Svenningsen of CLAAUDIA, Aalborg University provides an introduction to how AI LAB provides access to powerful GPU resources so you can train advanced models, run large simulations or process extensive image datasets.

Students at Aalborg University also have access to UCloud, a cloud-based platform provided by a consortium of Danish universities. UCloud provides access to a wide range of AI tools for tasks such as transcription, audio recording, data analysis, and language model work. Unlike Microsoft Copilot, UCloud can be used with content at levels 2 and 3 in AAU’s data classification model in several cases.

As a general rule, you should seek guidance on AI-LAB and UCloud from your lecturer or supervisor. If you encounter technical difficulties or have questions that cannot be answered elsewhere, please contact CLAAUDIA via the Service Portal.