The primary aim of the NCA Generative AI Policy Task Force is to develop a clear, association-wide policy to guide the use of generative AI across NCA conventions, journals, peer-review processes, research grants, and award submissions. The policy should distinguish acceptable AI uses, such as formatting, grammar assistance, and appropriate methodological applications, from unacceptable uses, such as undisclosed content generation, fabricated or hallucinated citations, and unauthorized AI-assisted review activity.
The task force will also recommend disclosure requirements for AI assistance, including whether and how authors, reviewers, editors, program planners, award submitters, and grant and award reviewers should identify the tools, platforms, prompts, or other forms of AI assistance they use. The group will propose actions NCA may take if unethical or unauthorized AI use is found, as well as an appeal procedure for affected members.
- Convention submissions, including papers, panels, and peer review.
- NCA journals, including editorial and reviewer practices related to generative AI and citation verification.
- All current and future NCA grant programs.
- Use of AI by authors, reviewers, editors, program planners, award submitters, award reviewers, and grant reviewers.
- Ethical, legal, and policy considerations related to AI use in scholarly communication.
The following is the composition of the task force, which reflects representation from different councils, groups, and ranks, including graduate students:
- Chairs: Tiffany Petricini and Heather Walters.
- Three At-Large NCA Members: Chi Vu, Matthew Salzano, Tiffany Petricini
- NCA AI Collaboratory Representative: Anand Rao
- Research Council Representative Laramie Taylor
- Teaching Council Representative Renee Houston
- Publications Council Representative Andrew High
- Representative with Award Committee experience: Heather Walters
- Representative, with attention to ethics and legal framing: Rati Kumar
- NCA Research Director Pallavi Guha
- NCA Convention Team Representative: Joy L. Daggs
- July 2026: Call for members and recruitment.
- August–October 2026: Task force announcement, meetings, and policy proposal development.
- Fall 2026: Share findings with the executive committee before the Annual Convention for feedback and revision.
- November 2026: Executive committee vote.
- December 2026: Announcement of approved policy.
- January 2027: Implementation begins.
- Attend and actively participate in task force meetings from August through October 2026.
- Review materials, policies, submission practices, publication guidelines, and relevant resources related to generative AI.
- Provide analysis and recommendations related to ethical, transparent, and accountable AI use across NCA programs.
- Help synthesize member, council, staff, editor, reviewer, and Executive Committee feedback.
- Contribute to a policy proposal and related implementation recommendations for executive committee consideration.
- A proposed NCA-wide generative AI policy for executive committee review and approval.
- Recommended disclosure requirements for AI-assisted work across conventions, journals, peer review, awards, and grants.
- Recommended procedures for responding to unethical or unauthorized AI use.
- An appeal procedure for members affected by determinations related to AI use.
- A final task force report documenting the process, recommendations, and implementation considerations.