screenshot of robot hand touching human hand

Announcement from the Campus AI Steering Committee 

After having worked with a group of representatives from faculty, academic administration, and student government, we are pleased to announce the availability of the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tool, Microsoft Copilot, to faculty, staff, and students.* Copilot is a GenAI-based digital assistant.

We are providing this announcement so you can engage and experiment with AI in a protected environment. Copilot provides data protection within the BC community, when used with your credentials. Microsoft states: “User and organizational data are protected, chat prompts and responses in Copilot are not saved, Microsoft has no eyes-on access to them, and they aren’t used to train the underlying large language models.” Other tools, like ChatGPT, do not currently offer this kind of data protection for BC. The many, different tools and uses of AI are still evolving. For example, Google has announced the upcoming release of Gemini for Workspace, and many other tools are in development. We will share more information as it becomes available, so please stay tuned as we develop additional programming on how to use it effectively.

To get started with Copilot, go to copilot.microsoft.com:

  1. Click Sign in.
  2. Enter your username@bc.edu
  3. When prompted, select Work or school account.
  4. Complete the Boston College Single Sign On and 2-step verification.
  5. Once logged in, you’ll see “bc.edu” in the upper left, and “protected” in the upper right, indicating that both your personal and BC information is protected.

CONSIDERATIONS
Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence able to create novel content like text, images, or sounds. People can use Generative AI in a variety of ways, from aiding researchers and students in their academic pursuits, to optimizing administrative tasks. As with many digital tools, it's crucial to be aware of its limitations, such as potential biases in algorithms and the inability to replace human insights and connections. Additionally, faculty should offer, and students should defer to, guidelines about appropriate use of AI in coursework, or when such use is prohibited. Students should also be aware of the appropriate and authorized use of AI in each class as outlined by the instructor and in accordance with the University Academic Integrity Policies. 

INSTRUCTIONS, RESOURCES, and HELP

*BC licenses Microsoft 365 for current students, faculty (full time and part time), and staff (computer users)

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