Trinity College (CT) AI Policy

• Clearly communicate expecta�ons to your students in all of your courses regarding permited and restricted uses of genera�ve AI tools and include such statements in class syllabi. You may draw on the language in this statement.

Sample Statement 1: Required Use

I expect you to use AI (ChatGPT and image generation tools, at a minimum), in this class. In fact, some assignments will require it.

Sample Statement 2: Encouraged Use

In this class, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (such as GPT-4) to assist with your papers is absolutely encouraged.

Sample Statement 5: Prohibited Use

Use of an AI Generator such as ChatGPT, iA Writer, MidJourney, DALL-E, etc. is explicitly prohibited unless otherwise noted by the instructor.

• Clearly communicate expectations to your students in all of your courses regarding permitted and restricted uses of generative AI tools and include such statements in class syllabi.

Sample Statement 5: Prohibited Use

Use of an AI Generator such as ChatGPT, iA Writer, MidJourney, DALL-E, etc. is explicitly prohibited unless otherwise noted by the instructor. It's imperative that all work submitted should be your own. Any assignment that is found to have been plagiarized or to have used unauthorized AI tools may receive a zero and/or be reported for academic misconduct.

Note, for any of these models having the correct “prompt” is necessary. So you may have varying levels of success using these models to gain conceptual understanding, and in many cases just talking to your instructors/ TA/ peers or even doing straight up googling is likely to yield better results. If you do decide to use these models, it is your responsibility to also fact check the insights that you gain.

If you are unsure about the accuracy or origin of any content created by a genera�ve AI tool, it is your responsibility to verify the content before use.

You are responsible for any content that you produce using genera�ve AI tools, including any mistakes made by the genera�ve AI tool or any allega�ons of copyright infringement. If you are unsure about the accuracy or origin of any content created by a genera�ve AI tool, it is your responsibility to verify the content before use.

• Exercise cau�on when using genera�ve AI in your research ac�vi�es. Familiarize yourself with any policies and rules regarding genera�ve AI use promulgated by the organiza�on funding your research. Be mindful that sharing research data in a genera�ve AI tool effec�vely publishes that research for public use.

* Don’t enter workplace (college) data classified as level 2, 3, or 4, including non-public research data, financial data, human resources records, student records, etc.) into publicly available generative AI tools in accordance with the College’s Data Classification Standard and Information Security Policy.

* Unpublished research data (at the discretion of the data owner)

• Exercise caution when using generative AI in your research activities. Familiarize yourself with any policies and rules regarding generative AI use promulgated by the organization funding your research. Be mindful that sharing research data in a generative AI tool effectively publishes that research for public use.

[Note: The Trinity IRB Manual (January 2025) was identified as a potentially relevant source for human-subjects research and AI but was not fully extracted; it should be reviewed for explicit AI guidance.]

AI is a tool, but one that you need to acknowledge using. Please include a paragraph at the end of any assignment that uses AI explaining what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. Failure to do so is in violation of the academic honesty policies.

● If you use Generative AI to help draft or edit any part of your paper, you must cite this in your paper. Treat the AI as you would another kind of source.

Familiarize yourself with Trinity’s AI Principles. If you use a generative AI tool for writing, be transparent. Acknowledge your uses of the tool (such as editing your writing or translating words) within your paper, in a note, or another suitable location like an appendix.

* Cite a generative AI tool when you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate other content (e.g., text, images, data) from it into your work.

* Providing a record of chat prompts and responses can also be helpful for someone assessing your work.

• Exercise cau�on when using genera�ve AI plagiarism detec�on tools, as their accuracy is not guaranteed; such tools can return false posi�ves and introduce bias against non-na�ive English speakers, as well as students with disabili�es or diverse learning needs.

Use of an AI Generator such as ChatGPT, iA Writer, MidJourney, DALL-E, etc. is explicitly prohibited unless otherwise noted by the instructor. The information derived from these tools is based on previously published materials. Therefore, using these tools without proper citation constitutes plagiarism. Additionally, be aware that the information derived from these tools is often inaccurate or incomplete. It’s imperative that all work submitted should be your own. Any assignment that is found to have been plagiarized or to have used unauthorized AI tools may receive a zero and / or be reported for academic misconduct.

• The use and procurement of genera�ve AI tools is subject to exis�ng Trinity College policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines; faculty, staff, and student manuals; and professional codes of conduct.

Addi�onal guidance for faculty members and other instructors:

• Clearly communicate expecta�ons to your students in all of your courses regarding permited and restricted uses of genera�ve AI tools and include such statements in class syllabi. You may draw on the language in this statement.

• Remind students about their academic integrity obliga�ons and the prac�cal consequences of academic integrity viola�ons.

• Do not enter confiden�al, sensi�ve, and personally iden�fiable informa�on into genera�ve AI tools. Data shared in genera�ve AI tools is not private, and any data entered into a genera�ve AI tool is collected and stored as part of the tool’s learning processes. Do not assume that genera�ve AI tools comply with laws and regula�ons designed to protect confiden�al informa�on.

15. Users must exercise caution when sharing data with AI systems by:

• Not inputting confidential college information, sensitive personal data, or protected student information into third-party AI tools

• Using only college-approved AI platforms for processing institutional data

• Being aware that information submitted to external AI services may be retained, analyzed, or used for training purpose

• Reviewing AI system privacy policies and data handling practices before use

* Don’t enter workplace (college) data classified as level 2, 3, or 4, including non-public research data, financial data, human resources records, student records, etc.) into publicly available generative AI tools in accordance with the College’s Data Classification Standard and Information Security Policy.

### Moderate Risk

Data not intended for public access, where unauthorized disclosure could cause limited or short-term impact to Trinity’s operations, reputation, or compliance posture.

* Unpublished research data (at the discretion of the data owner)

* Student academic records and admission applications

* Faculty/staff employment applications, personnel files, salary data, benefits information, date of birth, and personal contact details

The ethical and responsible use of genera�ve AI at Trinity College must be balanced with upholding the principles of academic integrity and protec�ng the privacy and security of college technology resources and data. This document shares guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of genera�ve AI tools at Trinity College. As genera�ve AI tools are evolving, these guidelines will be updated.

This guidance is developed jointly by the Vice President for Library and Information Technology Services and the Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty, and it is endorsed by the Library and Information Technology Committee and the Center for Teaching and Learning.