As you embark on the adoption of AI in your instructional and/or research activities including AI testing, proof of concepts, and similar endeavors, it is important that members of our community are well-informed about the best practices to ensure the secure and responsible use of these powerful tools. ChatGPT and other forms of AI can be incredibly beneficial for research, writing and other academic tasks, but they also come with potential risks. To protect our university's data and reputation, please follow these best practices when using AI tools:
Be Cautious with Sensitive Information
Avoid entering confidential, personal, or institutional information into AI tools, as many of the publicly available tools could potentially lack privacy safeguards and may expose such data to unauthorized parties. Treat the information you enter in ChatGPT or other AI prompts as if it were posted on a public site, like a social network or blog. Refrain from using ChatGPT or other similar generative AI models to generate or process any sensitive or confidential information of level 2 and above as defined by the University’s Data Classification Policy. This includes personal identification details, passwords, financial data, or sensitive research data.
You are responsible for content generated by an AI model
Always review the content generated by AI models for accuracy and for any sensitive or potentially harmful content before sharing or using them in your work. You have responsibility for the information that you disseminate.
Connect with us before purchasing any generative AI tools
ATC & Bentley IT are actively engaged in identifying and implementing secure environments for using generative AI tools. If you have a use case or need for using an AI tool, please reach out to us so that we can assist with a security and privacy review (ATC: atc@bentley.edu or the helpdesk: helpdesk@bentley.edu).
Follow these additional best practices to secure university data
- Only use generative AI models provided by reputable and authorized platforms. Use Microsoft’s Bing Chat Enterprise for interacting with a large language model (https://www.bing.com). If you log into Bing Chat Enterprise with your Bentley account credentials, data you enter or extract from the model will not be shared with others. Bing chat also cites references that indicate where the information is sourced.
- Keep your Bentley University credentials secure and private. Do not share your account details with others, and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
If you encounter any suspicious or unusual activity while using ChatGPT or other chatbots, immediately report it to helpdesk@bentley.edu.
Thank you for your attention to these best practices. Let's continue to use these powerful tools responsibly and make valuable contributions to our academic community.
Last updated: 12/11/2023
