{"id":414,"date":"2025-06-05T17:04:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T22:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it-new\/?p=414"},"modified":"2025-11-13T17:04:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T23:04:39","slug":"using-ai-responsibly-at-the-universities-of-wisconsin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/2025\/06\/05\/using-ai-responsibly-at-the-universities-of-wisconsin\/","title":{"rendered":"Using AI Responsibly at the Universities of Wisconsin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cWhat can I actually use AI for\u2014and how do I avoid getting myself in trouble?\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n


That\u2019s one of the first (and smartest) questions people ask when trying out generative AI tools. There has been considerable excitement surrounding such tools, and numerous options are available on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Universities of Wisconsin, we currently do not<\/em> have an enterprise or educational license for tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Deepseek. (The exception is Microsoft Copilot, which has a paid license in some systems.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means: while these tools can be powerful for brainstorming, writing, and automating routine tasks, it\u2019s critical<\/em> to use them responsibly\u2014especially when it comes to handling data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know about using public AI tools safely and wisely. (This does not pertain to the paid Copilot license)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK to Use ChatGPT (Or any public LLM) For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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  • Drafting non-sensitive communications, like email templates or project summaries<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Brainstorming ideas (e.g., presentation outlines, workshop formats, survey questions)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Creating or refining generic text (e.g., help articles, documentation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Generating code snippets\u00a0without<\/strong>\u00a0user or student data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Exploring concepts or summarizing public information<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Clarifying technical terms or academic topics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Getting grammar and tone feedback on professional writing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Support for creative ideation and storytelling in student engagement materials<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    NOT OK to Use ChatGPT <\/strong>(Or any public LLM) <\/strong>For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    • Sharing\u00a0personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, ID numbers, or student records<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Discussing\u00a0confidential or restricted information, including contracts, budget documents, HR cases, or sensitive governance topics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Uploading or pasting\u00a0internal documents\u00a0marked confidential or not meant for public disclosure<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Using it to\u00a0make final decisions\u00a0about student admission, financial aid, or disciplinary action<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Treating ChatGPT outputs as authoritative without verification\u2014it\u2019s a tool, not a source of record<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      This includes technical communication as well. It is OK to use ChatGPT for general-purpose coding and debugging. It is NOT acceptable to use ChatGPT if the code contains student data, internal APIs, secure tokens or authentication keys. This means anything tied to Peoplesoft, SIS, Workday, etc. Be especially cautious if you are using the model to generate decisions that affect users without human oversight (e.g., scripts that automatically move money, update grades, or modify access rights)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you wouldn\u2019t email the code to a stranger without redacting it, don\u2019t paste it into an LLM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Tips for Responsible Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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      • Treat AI as a thought partner, not a decision-maker.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • If in doubt, strip out sensitive details and ask generalized questions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Assume anything you input is visible externally, unless you\u2019re using a licensed instance with data protection agreements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Cite any final content or policies to approved institutional sources, not ChatGPT.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \u201cWhat can I actually use AI for\u2014and how do I avoid getting myself in trouble?\u201d That\u2019s one of the first (and smartest) questions people ask when trying out generative AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[9,10,11,12,13],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","tag-ai","tag-chatgpt","tag-copilot","tag-gemini","tag-llm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/systemwide-it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}