  Recent developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) have
created a paradigm shift in multiple areas of society, and the use of these
technologies is likely to become a defining feature of education in coming
decades. GenAI offers transformative pedagogical opportunities, while
simultaneously posing ethical and academic challenges. Against this backdrop,
we outline a practical, simple, and sufficiently comprehensive tool to allow
for the integration of GenAI tools into educational assessment: the AI
Assessment Scale (AIAS).
  The AIAS empowers educators to select the appropriate level of GenAI usage in
assessments based on the learning outcomes they seek to address. The AIAS
offers greater clarity and transparency for students and educators, provides a
fair and equitable policy tool for institutions to work with, and offers a
nuanced approach which embraces the opportunities of GenAI while recognising
that there are instances where such tools may not be pedagogically appropriate
or necessary.
  By adopting a practical, flexible approach that can be implemented quickly,
the AIAS can form a much-needed starting point to address the current
uncertainty and anxiety regarding GenAI in education. As a secondary objective,
we engage with the current literature and advocate for a refocused discourse on
GenAI tools in education, one which foregrounds how technologies can help
support and enhance teaching and learning, which contrasts with the current
focus on GenAI as a facilitator of academic misconduct.
