AI for Staff and Business Use
Best practices, guidelines, and resources for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in your operations.
Recognizing the growing prominence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT, NC State’s AI Advisory Group has established the following guidelines to ensure the responsible and ethical use of generative AI tools for business tasks at the university. Generative AI refers to algorithms that create new content by learning patterns and structures from data they are trained on. This content can include text, images and other forms of media. For this document, generative AI will be referenced as AI.
The university will publish separate guidelines for using AI in research and education-based purposes. Please refer to those guidelines if they apply to your use case(s). For additional information, see Guiding Principles for AI Tools.
Guidelines for the Use of AI for Business Tasks
AI tools can boost your work efficiency and effectiveness. However, any use of these tools must be conducted ethically and in alignment with NC State’s mission, vision, values and strategic plan. Apply the following guidelines to your use of AI to help promote responsible usage, maintain professional standards and promote a positive working environment.
Please note that these guidelines may be periodically updated as the field of AI continues to advance.
- Human-Centered Approach to AI Usage: AI should complement, not replace, human expertise and judgment in conducting work for NC State. When leveraging AI tools, individuals should strive to play an active role and maintain ownership in their work and interactions.
- Protecting Sensitive Data, Personal Information and Intellectual Property: Do not enter (via queries, uploads, recordings, etc.) university data (as defined by REG 08.00.03 – Data Management Regulation) into AI tools unless they have been vetted and approved via the Office of Information Technology’s IT Purchase Compliance process. Entering sensitive, confidential or personal information into unvetted or rejected AI tools may cause the data to become disclosed to unauthorized third parties and violate applicable data protection laws, intellectual property rights, regulations, contracts, security controls and the privacy rights of individuals. See the list of approved AI tools and the maximum level of sensitive information that may be entered into each tool. For specific examples of how university data is classified in terms of data sensitivity, see the NC State Data Classification Table.
- Transparency and Disclosure: To ensure transparency, include a disclosure statement regarding the use of AI for tasks or products that can impact decision-making or have ethical or legal ramifications. Such a disclosure statement could be “AI was used in the development of this work product.” The disclosure of AI tool usage is not expected in cases where the tool was used for minor tasks or if there were significant human revisions to the AI output.
- Accurate Representation and Accessibility: AI outputs may misrepresent certain groups or protected classes of people due to existing inaccuracies in source data. Ensure that AI outputs created for administrative tasks are representative of all users, regardless of their backgrounds. In addition, make sure that work products derived from AI outputs foster an accessible environment for the university community by considering the needs or abilities of all individuals prior to using them. For digital accessibility resources, see NC State’s IT Accessibility Office website.
- Promote Personal Connections: Make sure to integrate human judgment, ethical considerations and personal connections in your use of AI, ensuring that technology is used in a way that fosters strong relationships, builds trust, and cultivates a supportive environment within the NC State community. Reflect on and avoid situations where the use of AI could be considered disingenuous or inappropriate by the intended audience.
- Role-Specific Norms: Engage with your supervisor or unit leadership to clarify and understand the specific expectations and guidelines for using AI within your role and within the context of your unit’s work. This includes discussing appropriate use cases, potential limitations, ethical or legal considerations, and any specific policies or procedures related to AI usage.
- Continuous Education: Actively participate in relevant professional development opportunities to deepen your understanding of AI for your role and the broader functions of NC State.
Use Cases for Business Tasks
AI has the potential to support a wide array of roles and business functions. While AI can be useful for various tasks, it is important to recognize that different use cases may require different AI tools and approaches. See this list of approved AI tools and process guidelines. Some possible use cases include:
- Generating and Enhancing Written Work: Draft documents or other written products by generating new content or by entering text for review and suggested improvements.
- Videos: Create compelling videos to engage viewers and get your message across.
- Presentations: Generate captivating presentations that incorporate interactive elements and visualizations for more effective storytelling.
- Programming, Data Analysis and Reporting: Generate and debug code, identify patterns, aggregate data, and generate dashboards and reports.
- Training: Convert complex training material, like manuals, into consumable documents or podcasts.
- Resource Allocation: Simplify resource allocation tasks like scheduling, room assignments and managing workloads.
- Boosting Productivity: Automate mundane or monotonous tasks like creating summaries, drafting meeting minutes and organizing files.
- Digital Accessibility: Review documents, websites or digital content to ensure they are accessible for individuals with specific needs or abilities.
- Video Conferencing: Generate audio captioning and transcripts and determine action items from virtual meetings.
- Enhanced and Custom Search Functionality: Answer complicated questions or queries based on information found on the internet. AI tools can also be trained in specific knowledge domains to provide relevant answers to user questions around particular topics.
- Translation: Aid the translation of text from other languages into English.
These guidelines are provided and managed by the NC State University Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group.
