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Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a bigger part of daily life at UT. Even if you feel late to the game, you’re not alone. Learn to use AI securely and effectively at UT through these guidelines, resources, and tools.  

AI Guiding Principles

  • Mission-Driven Use of AI: AI should support the university’s mission of education, research, and service—expanding access, advancing discovery, and solving real-world problems for the public good. 
  • Data Privacy and Stewardship: AI must operate within legal and ethical boundaries and reflect the university’s commitment to security, transparency, and responsible management. 
  • Responsible Practices: AI should be used with integrity, supporting fairness in outcomes, treating all individuals with respect, and ensuring decisions reflect the university’s educational and ethical standards. 
  • Transparency and Accountability: AI systems must be explainable and governed responsibly, with clear human oversight to maintain trust, ensure fairness, and uphold institutional accountability. 

AI Tools at UT (managed and contracted)

Certain AI tools are centrally managed, contracted, and reviewed by the university and provide the security and stability necessary for university content. They include the following chat tools, as well as selected external AI tools for meeting summaries, academics, and research. 

  • UT AI Hub: A Generative AI (GenAI) gateway providing access to ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and others in a secure environment.
  • UT Verse: A collection of AI tools developed by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, including UT Verse: AI Assistant and the UTVersal Translator. 
  • Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft’s AI-powered chat platform for searching for information, creating content, and communicating with others. 

Learn more about UT-managed and contracted AI tools

Teaching and Learning with AI 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers transformative opportunities to ethically and effectively further our institutional mission. The Office of Innovative Technologies is dedicated to actively educating UT’s academic community on teaching and learning with artificial intelligence, including:

  • Applications of AI in Education 
  • Guidance on AI Adoption 
  • Opportunities and Challenges 
  • Prompting and AI Assistant Creation 
  • Additional Resources 

Watch OIT’s AI and Teaching video on the importance of guiding students in ethical AI use and integrating AI into classroom activities to foster a culture of inquiry and curiosity (2min 54sec). 

Learn more about teaching and learning with AI 

Policies & Guidelines 

Everyone is responsible for understanding and following university policies and ethical guidelines when using AI. This means not sharing confidential information with AI tools and making sure work submitted is your own. Review the guidance chart to determine what types of data you can enter into these tools.

Guidelines for Responsible Use  

  • Protect university and personal data 
  • Verify accuracy and do not assume AI output is correct 
  • Be cognizant of bias with inputs and outputs 
  • Maintain confidentiality and minimum necessary use 
  • Be transparent when using AI for official work 
  • Respect copyright, licensing, and intellectual property 
  • Use only approved or authorized AI services for sensitive data 

Whether an AI tool may be used depends on the type of data you enter into it, not simply whether the tool is available or supported by IT. AI use is governed by UT’s Data Classification Standard and a risk-based decision model. Whether an AI tool may be used depends on:

  • The classification of the data
  • The contractual protections in place
  • The technical configuration of the AI service
  • The presence or absence of external data sharing (e.g., web search)**

This approach ensures that AI adoption supports innovation while maintaining compliance with FERPA, HIPAA, CUI, and other regulatory obligations.

Before using any AI tool, ask:

Your answers determine whether the use is allowed.

Software Approval Process 

Submit a request online to ask for consideration of an AI tool for departmental or university use.

Resources 

Office of Innovative Technologies 

Teaching & Learning Innovation 

Research, Innovation, & Economic Development

Guidance Available by Campus 

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