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As AI technologies become increasingly integrated into our daily lives and institutional operations, it is crucial to approach them with a thoughtful and ethical perspective. Here at MSU Denver, we are committed to fostering an environment where AI is used to enhance educational and operational effectiveness while upholding our core values.
The Ethical and Responsible AI Use page serves as a guide to how MSU Denver navigates the complex landscape of AI, ensuring that our use of these technologies reflects our commitment to ethical standards and community values. Here, you’ll find detailed policies, educational resources, and ways to get involved in our ongoing dialogue about AI. By educating ourselves and adhering to ethical practices, we not only enhance our capabilities but also ensure that AI serves as a tool for positive impact at MSU Denver and beyond.
Note that additional resources are in progress including the “Guiding Principles for AI Use” included below as well as guidance from the MSU Denver Data and Analytics team, who is currently working on finalizing their own recommendations for ethical and responsible use of institutional data for AI-enabled analysis.
Guiding Principles for AI Use
These proposed guidelines are in draft form until feedback from all campus stakeholders has been collected. Should you desire to provide your input, please do so by emailing Dr. Samuel Jay ([email protected]).
As Metropolitan State University of Denver steps into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), we recognize the immense potential this technology holds for enhancing our educational mission, research endeavors, and operational efficiency. In considering the usage of AI across our university, we are also mindful of the ethical, societal, and operational implications that accompany its deployment. To navigate these complexities and leverage AI’s potential responsibly, we have established a set of guiding principles.
These principles are designed to ensure that our engagement with AI aligns with our institutional values, supports our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and fosters an environment where technology enhances human capabilities and potential while furthering our mission of providing a quality educational experience. Through these guidelines, we aim to create a framework that empowers all members of the MSU Denver community to engage with AI technologies thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively.
MSU Denver is committed to using AI in a way that aligns with our university’s core values, promoting an environment of inclusivity, respect, and ethical integrity. Our AI initiatives will reflect our dedication to serving our community responsibly and ethically, respectfully attending to the requirements laid out in current and potential federal and state legislation as well as in recommendations and guidance offered by our campus stakeholders (insert link for AI subpage with policies and statements).
AI technologies at MSU Denver will be employed to augment and enhance human capabilities, not replace them. We prioritize the development and deployment of AI to support creativity, productivity, healthy work/life balance, and the overall work and learning experience, enabling our faculty, staff, and students to focus on higher-level tasks and innovation.
MSU Denver maintains a stance of transparency and accountability in our AI practices. This involves clear communication about how AI technologies are used, the data used to train any models created by MSU Denver, the purposes they serve, and the measures in place to address any unintended consequences or ethical concerns that may arise.
MSU Denver’s use of AI will adhere to strict standards of data privacy and security, respecting the confidentiality and integrity of the information within our trust. We commit to implementing robust security measures to protect against unauthorized access and ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws and regulations as well as MSU Denver data policies.
MSU Denver pledges to work diligently to identify and mitigate biases in AI applications to ensure accuracy, fairness, and equity in outcomes. This includes promoting inclusivity in AI development processes by seeking input from a diverse range of perspectives, working to eliminate barriers that may prevent equitable access to AI-generated benefits, and looking to educate users where mitigating biases is impossible or impractical.
AI systems at MSU Denver will be designed, adopted, and implemented with a human-centered approach, ensuring that technology serves to support and enhance human decision-making, creativity, and interaction rather than replacing them.
MSU Denver embraces a culture of continuous learning, both for individuals and our AI systems. This means regularly evaluating and updating our AI technologies in response to new challenges, feedback, and opportunities for improvement to ensure they remain effective, safe, and aligned with our institutional goals.
We are committed to providing opportunities for our community to learn about AI, including its ethical use, potential risks, and benefits. This includes supporting professional development and providing educational resources to ensure that all employees are equipped to engage with AI technologies knowledgeably and effectively.
MSU Denver will seek to collaborate with external partners, stakeholders, and academic communities who share our principles and commitment to responsible AI use. By engaging with a wide range of perspectives, we can learn from others, share our own insights, and work towards the common good.
MSU Denver’s AI initiatives aim to prioritize accessibility and usability, ensuring that AI tools and applications are easy to use and accessible to everyone within our community, regardless of their ability or technical expertise. This commitment to user-friendliness and inclusivity is central to our approach to AI.
Information Technology Services (ITS) Administrative Statement on the Use of Generative AI Platforms within University Operations
Metropolitan State University of Denver celebrates innovation and encourages University students, faculty, and staff to explore the capabilities of emerging technologies, including Generative AI platforms (henceforth abbreviated as ‘AI/ML’), which offer the ability to improve research, augment administrative procedures, and deliver novel educational experiences. At the same time, the University must ensure these tools are deployed in an ethical manner and must safeguard sensitive data, including student records, protected health information (PHI), employment data, and other personally identifiable information (PII). Privileged University data is governed by a range of federal, state, and international laws, including but not limited to:
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
- General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)
- Colorado Privacy Act (CPA)
- California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
The following document is intended to support the MSU Denver community as it pursues AI/ML solutions in a secure, privacy-focused manner.
This statement applies to all students, faculty, and staff of Metropolitan State University of Denver who may opt to use AI/ML to assist with administrative tasks, as well as any third-party vendors that provide AI-powered products or services to the university.
This statement does NOT apply to faculty academic or research activity, provided said activities do not involve University data classified as Confidential and/or For Official Use Only. For guidance on academic application of AI/ML, please visit the Generative Artificial Intelligence Taskforce (GAIT) web page.
The use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning platforms at MSU Denver shall be guided by a set of agreed-upon principles, including:
- Privacy: First and foremost, the University must preserve privacy and protect PII/PHI to which it has been entrusted. To that end, AI/ML tools selected for use within the University setting shall have a published privacy policy that has been reviewed by University officials.
- Transparency: When AI/ML is used in the course of University activity, this information should be made clear to the audience, and documentation shall be available providing an overview of how the systems work, what data is being used, and in what ways. In this spirit, please note that portions of this document were produced with assistance from a publicly available large language model.*
- Fairness: AI/ML systems used at MSU Denver shall be fair and unbiased, with documentation available describing the steps taken by the provider/developer to avoid discriminatory results for any individual or group.^
- Compliance: Individuals interested in deploying AI/ML tools at MSU Denver are responsible for securing authorization from appropriate authorities to ensure that the selected tools align with all applicable regulations so as not to expose the University to undue risk.
- Intellectual Property: Individuals leveraging AI/ML platforms at MSU Denver should be aware that such tools are often trained on copyrighted or trademarked materials without author approval or attribution. As such, staff members shall avoid using an AI/ML tool to mimic or replicate copyrighted visual or tonal styles, and should refrain from inputting MSU Denver community intellectual property into public large language models.
- Augment, Not Replace: AI/ML platforms should be used to augment human judgment, not replace it. Similarly, while AI/ML may offer operational efficiencies, no staff member should fear that they will be replaced wholesale in their roles by a large language model.
- Regular Review: AI/ML systems shall be reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis to ensure that they
- are working as intended.
- have an identified owner and documentation that is maintained on an ongoing basis.
- continue to meet the needs of the University.
- remain in alignment with the principles articulated in this document.
- adhere to AI/ML regulations applicable to the University.
*See Appendix B for further detail regarding how Generative AI was used to prepare this document.
^See Appendix C for resources regarding algorithmic bias.
- Public Large Language Models: The use of Public AI/ML Large Language Models for work with privileged University data is strictly prohibited, in adherence to the University’s Data Classification Policy for Official Use Only and Confidential data. Protected/regulated data and business process that should not be used in Public AI/ML LLMs include but are not limited to:
- Student Admissions and Enrollment
- Financial Aid and Billing
- Academic Advising and Registration
- Human Resources
- University Financial Analysis
For non-privileged data, including formatting ideas for business memorandums, outlines for long documents or similar materials, the use of non-private AI/ML tools is acceptable, but the University recommends that, to the degree possible, community members leverage vetted, private platforms.
- Private Large Language Models: MSU Denver is evaluating the feasibility of providing a private AI/ML tool that aligns with University compliance and privacy obligations. If implemented, this platform would be eligible for use with protected/regulated data and key business processes such as those listed above. At this time, no private AI/ML tool is available, and therefore AI/ML should not be engaged for University business or with University data at this time.
- Inclusion in Other Systems: Software vendors are actively working to add AI/ML tools to existing software titles. In these cases, where an executed contract and privacy agreement have been approved by the University office of Contracts and Business Services, use of integrated AI/ML features is permissible. If the system in question has not already been vetted for use at MSU Denver, MSU Denver community members may not leverage AI/ML features to transmit, analyze, modify, or otherwise engage privileged University data or key business processes.
- Incidental AI/ML Usage: Similarly, many third-party non-enterprise applications are introducing AI/ML features. Examples of this include products like Grammarly, Zoom, Slack, and others. As the University has no contract in place with these providers, MSU Denver community members may not leverage AI/ML features to transmit, analyze, modify, or otherwise engage privileged University data or key business processes.
- Requests to Implement New AI/ML Solutions: If an individual or department wishes to introduce a new AI/ML product, it must first be evaluated for compliance and privacy. This process may be initiated by submitting a request through the ITS Ticket Portal.
As this domain is changing rapidly, this statement will be updated as new germane information arises. In the interim, any individual or department seeking an exception from these guidelines must submit a written request through the ITS Ticket Portal at cnlawyer18.com/technology, which will be circulated with the appropriate data stewards for review and approval.
MSU Denver acknowledges the vast opportunity presented by Generative AI, and will continue to evaluate market, technical, and regulatory conditions to guide future plans related to AI/ML technology. At the present time, the campus community shall follow this position statement as a guide to protect the University, our students, and our employees.
Guidance from Data & Analytics Branch
Information from the MSU Denver Data and Analytics Branch is currently being finalized and will be shared here soon.