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AI Guidelines and Ethics

Learn about AI guidelines at Roger Williams University, including best practices for data privacy, along with responsible and ethical use of AI tools.

AI offers powerful ways to enhance teaching, learning, research, and work.  At Roger Williams University it is expected that all community members will use AI in ways that uphold academic integrity, protect privacy, and promote equity.

Key Principles for Responsible and Ethical AI Use

  • Academic honesty: AI must not be used to misrepresent someone else’s work as your own.  Assignments and publications should follow disciplinary norms for citing AI-generated content when it is used.
  • Human accountability: People, not AI systems, remain responsible for academic, professional, and research decisions.  AI outputs should always be checked for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness.
  • Privacy and data protection: Do not enter confidential, regulated, or personally identifiable information into public AI tools, and follow institutional and legal requirements (such as FERPA or relevant data protection laws) when handling data.

University AI Policies

All community members should follow RWU policies when using AI:

RWU Data Storage Policy outlines how university data must be securely stored, managed, and protected to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and compliance with legal and institutional requirements.

RWU Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) defines appropriate and responsible use of RWU technology resources to maintain security, privacy, and ethical standards.