Data Security Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI Tools

With the emergence of various generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DALL-E, Microsoft CoPilot, and others), members of the MCCCD community are eager to explore their use in the higher education context. This directive guides using these innovative tools safely without putting institutional, personal, or proprietary information at risk. This guidance will be updated as circumstances evolve.

Generative AI tools learn through their interactions with users. For that reason, many generative AI tools require you to agree that they can keep the information you submit for future use, including by providing it to other users. This is especially true for free generative AI tools. Do not share information that is confidential under MCCCD policies
and rules. Examples include:

• Student information
• Personnel information
• Information that MCCCD has promised to keep confidential, for example, in a contract, a grant application, or a disclosure to research participants 
• Information about MCCCD that is confidential, proprietary, or otherwise not public

Do not share valuable intellectual property, whether yours, MCCCD’s, or someone else’s. The intellectual property owner is entitled to control who can copy or use that intellectual property. By submitting information to a generative AI tool, you may give up valuable rights to control who can use that intellectual property. This is especially problematic if you do not own the intellectual property or do not have the right to authorize others to copy or use it (for example, if the intellectual property belongs to MCCCD, to another institution, or to a co-author or collaborator). Be certain any information submitted to an AI-based model is public and does not include sensitive or personally identifiable information- including information that could identify someone when combined with other data.

By fostering a culture of awareness, responsibility, and compliance, we can ensure that the utilization of generative AI at MCCCD not only enhances our academic mission but does so in a manner that reflects our commitment to Principled Innovation.

We recognize that the innovative application of generative AI presents a tremendous opportunity to enhance learning, research, and administrative functions at MCCCD. As we embark on this exciting journey, we must adhere to a set of principles and guidelines that align with our institutional values, federal regulations, and state laws.

UC Berkeley
Arizona State University

1. Guidance for Maricopa Faculty Regarding Generative AI Tools and Academic Misconduct
2. Generative AI and Teaching and Learning: Guidance for Maricopa Faculty
3. Artificial Intelligence Resources for Faculty and Staff
4. Admin Regulation. 4.4 Technology Resource Standards
5. Admin Regulation 4.22 Statement on Privacy
6. ITD-02.06 Information Classification and Handling
7. 7 Things You Should Know About Generative AI
8. How Generative AI is Being Used Within the Maricopa Community Colleges
9. Admin Regulation 2.3.11
10. Residential Faculty Agreement 2024-2025

Principled Innovation - guides our ability to imagine new concepts, catalyze ideas and form new solutions, guided by principles that create positive change for humanity.