Approved by: The President
History: Issued             -- May 19, 2026
Revised            -- 
Last Reviewed --
Related Policies: Information Security and Assurance Policy; Technology Use Policy; Student Academic Dishonesty Policy; Code of Student Conduct; Code of Conduct for Staff and Faculty; Intellectual Property Policies
Additional References:
Policy Owner

Senior Vice Provost for Research tel. 202-319-5000
Contact Person

Office of General Counsel, tel. 202-319-5142
Director of Compliance, tel. 202-319-6104

I. Purpose and Scope

 

This policy establishes standards for the responsible and ethical use of generative artificial intelligence by all members of The Catholic University of America (the "University"), including faculty, staff, students, and affiliates ("University Community Members"). They are designed to promote innovation while safeguarding privacy, academic integrity, and intellectual property. This policy supplements and must be interpreted consistently with existing University policies, including, but not limited to, the Information Security and Assurance Policy, FERPA Policy, Employee Electronic Communications Policy, Technology Use Policy, Student Academic Dishonesty Policy, Intellectual Property Policies, Procurement Policy, and Codes of Conduct. This policy likewise does not replace the responsibility of Academic Deans and Department Chairs to provide guidance to their schools, colleges, or departments as to responsible and ethical use of Generative AI within their specific disciplines.

II. Definitions

  1. Confidential Information. Any communication, personal, business or technical information, work product, or research data belonging to the University, faculty, staff, or students of the University, or collaborators thereof, which has been provided, created, or received under an obligation or reasonable expectation of confidentiality. Examples of Confidential Information may include, but are not limited to, student work, certain University data, recordings or transcripts of classes, meetings or University sponsored events, records protected under attorney client privilege, or Personally Identifiable Information.
  2. Generative AI. Artificial-intelligence systems, software, or technological tools capable of creating new content, including, but not limited to text, images, audio, code, or data, based on patterns learned from large data sets or from other measures. Generative AI includes platforms such as Chat GPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, X's Grok, Sora, and others.
  3. Personally Identifiable Information ("PII"). Information that identifies or could reasonably be used to identify a particular individual, including information protected under federal or D.C. privacy laws.
  4. University-Procured AI. Generative AI platforms that the University has purchased and that have been approved by Technology Services and other relevant University authorities, as applicable.

III. Core Principles

  1. Transparency. Disclose Generative AI use in academic, research, or administrative work.
  2. Accountability. Human users remain responsible for all content produced with or by Generative AI.
  3. Integrity. Generative AI must be used in a manner that comports with Catholic values and University Codes of Conduct.
  4. Privacy & Security. Protect University intellectual property, confidential information, and personally identifiable information.

IV. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  1. Privacy. Users must assume that information shared with all Generative AI, other than the University-Procured AI within the University domain, is not private. University Community Members may not input, upload, or otherwise disclose Confidential Information that has been provided, created, or received by the University or another University Community Member into any generative AI tool, other than University-Procured AI, without explicit authorization by the appropriate authority. Use of any Generative AI should comply with University's privacy policies and guidelines, including, but not limited to, its FERPA Policy, Information Security and Assurance Policy, Employee Electronic Communications Policy, and Technology Use Policy.
  2. Intellectual Property Protection. University Community Members may not input, upload or otherwise disclose intellectual property, including patented, copyrighted, or trademarked materials owned by the University or another University Community Member, into Generative AI systems other than University-Procured AI, without the explicit authorization by the appropriate authority. To that end, University Community Members should be aware of the terms and conditions under which they are using Generative AI platforms or products, including large language models, machine learning platforms, or image recognition software. Use of Generative AI should be consistent with the University's intellectual property policies and guidelines, including, but not limited to the Technology Use Policy, Copyright Policy, Copyright Ownership Policy, Patent Policy, and Trademark Policy.
  3. Procurement. The University has and will procure a range of Generative AI platforms or products with contractual protections for use in University work. These include security and privacy protections that ensure the platforms or products are suitable for use with certain types of confidential data and that information entered will not be used to train vendor models. Use of other Generative AI platforms or products (including free or trial versions) for University purposes must first be approved by Technology Services. University Community Members acting in a professional capacity must avoid using University data or proprietary information with any unapproved Generative AI platforms or products. Those entering into agreements on behalf of the University should follow the standard contract-review process established by Procurement Services and consult that office regarding Generative AI-related terms or vendor provisions when applicable.
  4. Academic Integrity. All uses of AI must be consistent with the University Academic Dishonesty Policy, University Codes of Conduct, school, college, and departmental academic honesty policies, University course syllabi, and any generative AI policies established by professors where applicable. Additional considerations should be accounted for when using Generative AI, including but not limited to:
    1. Transparency. University Community Members should be transparent about their use of Generative AI in any research, scholarship, proposals or work, or other University related activities and must disclose the use or partial use of Generative AI, where required by applicable academic honesty policies, codes of conduct, course or program requirements, contractual obligations, or journal or publication requirements.
    2. Critical Review of AI Output. University Community Members must not assume that information provided by Generative AI is accurate. Generative AI content can be misleading, biased, inaccurate, or even false. It is important for all users to review AI-generated material critically and corroborate facts with verified sources. University Community Members are solely responsible for the content of any work containing information provided by AI and may be subject to liability under applicable University policies and applicable law for content that is false, misleading, or malicious.
    3. Check for Copyrighted Material. Generative AI platforms may generate content protected by copyright without attribution to the original source. Users must review AI-generated content to avoid copyright infringement and ensure compliance with applicable intellectual property laws.
    4. Ethical Alignment. All use of Generative AI must be consistent with the University's mission and values, supporting integrity in learning, research, and professional practice.
    5. Responsibility. University Community Members are responsible for research, scholarship, or work, produced with the use or partial use of Generative AI.
  5. Malicious Use and Phishing. University Community Members are prohibited from using Generative AI tools to create malicious content, such as malware, viruses, worms, and trojan horses, that could bypass network security measures implemented by the University or any third party. University Community members are likewise prohibited from creating, altering, replicating, or distributing images, voices, or other likenesses of University Community Members, without their prior informed consent, when such use is misleading, materially inaccurate, harmful, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise inconsistent with applicable law or University policy.
  6. Investigations and Hearings. Generative AI cannot be used to create false or misleading evidence. In addition, Generative AI cannot be used to create witness statements such statements must be based solely on the knowledge and recollection of the witness. Evidence that violates this provision cannot be used in any University investigation or hearing.
  7. Violation. Conduct by University Community Members that is contrary to this policy is subject to discipline.