Faculty and Staff AI Resource Repository

AI Policy Examples

Comprehensive examples of AI policy statements for syllabi across different disciplines and approaches.

About These Examples

This page provides a curated collection of AI policy statements that faculty can adapt for their syllabi. Examples are organized both by academic discipline and by policy type (permissive, mixed, or restricted). Each example includes attribution to its original source when available.

How to Use These Examples

  1. Browse by discipline to find examples relevant to your field
  2. Alternatively, browse by policy type to find examples that match your preferred approach
  3. Adapt the language to fit your specific course needs and institutional policies
  4. Consider including clear guidelines about documentation and citation requirements
  5. Review with your department or institution to ensure alignment with broader policies

Browse by Policy Type

Permissive AI Policies

These policies generally allow wide use of AI tools with appropriate documentation.

Permissive

This course encourages students to explore the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools such as ChatGPT for all assignments and assessments. Any such use must be appropriately acknowledged and cited. It is each student's responsibility to assess the validity and applicability of any GAI output that is submitted; you bear the final responsibility. Violations of this policy will be considered academic misconduct. We draw your attention to the fact that different classes at Harvard could implement different AI policies, and it is the student's responsibility to conform to expectations for each course.

Source: Harvard University
Permissive

Students are allowed to use advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2) on assignments in this course; no special documentation or citation is required.

Source: Kevin R. Guidry, University of Delaware
Permissive

Within this class, you are welcome to use foundation models (ChatGPT, GPT, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, GitHub Copilot, and anything after) in a totally unrestricted fashion, for any purpose, at no penalty. However, you should note that all large language models still have a tendency to make up incorrect facts and fake citations, code generation models have a tendency to produce inaccurate outputs, and image generation models can occasionally come up with highly offensive products. You will be responsible for any inaccurate, biased, offensive, or otherwise unethical content you submit regardless of whether it originally comes from you or a foundation model. If you use a foundation model, its contribution must be acknowledged; you will be penalized for using a foundation model without acknowledgement. Having said all these disclaimers, the use of foundation models is encouraged, as it may make it possible for you to submit assignments with higher quality, in less time.

The university's policy on plagiarism still applies to any uncited or improperly cited use of work by other human beings, or submission of work by other human beings as your own.

Source: Ryan S. Baker, University of Pennsylvania
Permissive

Artificial Intelligence Policy: Are all of our classes now AI classes?

A. I expect you to use AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Dall-e-2) in this class. In fact, some assignments will require it. Learning to use AI is an emerging skill, and I will provide basic tutorials about how to leverage it for our work. However, be aware of the limits of these software systems.

B. AI is vulnerable to discrimination because it can inadvertently (or intentionally) perpetuate existing biases present in the data it is trained on. For example, if an AI system is trained on data that contains a bias against a certain group of people, the system may make decisions that are unfair or discriminatory towards that group.

E. AI is a tool, just like a pencil or a computer. However, unlike most tools you need to acknowledge using it. Pay close attention to whatever information you use in your own work that is produced from AI, and explain how/what you used at the end of assignments. My recommendation is to screen shot and save everything (i.e., what prompts you used, what answers were produced, where, why, and how). This is new territory, but basic attribution rules still apply. Cite everything, otherwise you are likely violating academic integrity policies.

Source: Ryan Gagnon, Clemson University

Mixed AI Policies

These policies allow AI tools for specific purposes or assignments while restricting use in others.

Mixed

These are Generative AI technologies that I use on a regular basis in my discipline: [example 1], [example 2], and [example 3]. I am giving you permission to use them in this class. If you come across something else that I'm unaware of, let me know so we can discuss its use in the class.

Mixed

Certain assignments in this course will permit or even encourage the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools such as ChatGPT. The default is that such use is disallowed unless otherwise stated. Any such use must be appropriately acknowledged and cited. It is each student's responsibility to assess the validity and applicability of any GAI output that is submitted; you bear the final responsibility. Violations of this policy will be considered academic misconduct. We draw your attention to the fact that different classes at Harvard could implement different AI policies, and it is the student's responsibility to conform to expectations for each course.

Source: Harvard University
Mixed

Large language models, such as ChatGPT (chat.openai.com) are rapidly changing the tools available to people writing code. Given their use out in the world, the view we will take in this class is that it does not make sense to ban the use of such tools in our problem sets or projects. For now, here is my guidance on how these can and should be used in our class: First and foremost, note that output from ChatGPT can often be confidently wrong! Run your code and check any output to make sure that this actually works. Such AI assistants will give you a good first guess, but these are really empowering for users who invest in being able to tell when the output is correct or not. If you use ChatGPT or similar resources, credit it at the top of your problem set as you would a programming partner. Where you use direct language or code from ChatGPT, please cite this as you would information taken from other sources more generally.

Source: Andrew Zeitlin, Georgetown University
Mixed

Policy on the use of generative artificial intelligence tools:

Using an AI-content generator such as ChatGPT to complete assignment without proper attribution violates academic integrity. By submitting assignments in this class, you pledge to affirm that they are your own work and you attribute use of any tools and sources.

Learning to use AI responsibly and ethically is an important skill in today's society. Be aware of the limits of conversational, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Here are approved uses of AI in this course. You can take advantage of a generative AI to:

  • Fine tune your research questions by using this tool https://labs.packback.co/question/ Enter a draft research question. The tool can help you find related, open-ended questions
  • Brainstorm and fine tune your ideas; use AI to draft an outline to clarify your thoughts
  • Check grammar, rigor, and style; help you find an expression
Source: Alexa Alice Joubin, George Washington University

Policies by Academic Discipline

Browse examples specific to different academic fields.

Mixed

Baseball as American History (Bentley University)

Writing is integral to thinking. It is also hard. Natural language processing (NLP) applications like ChatGPT or Sudowrite are useful tools for helping us improve our writing and stimulate our thinking. However, they should never serve as a substitute for either. And, in this course, they cannot.

Think of the help you get from NLP apps as a much less sophisticated version of the assistance you can receive (for free!) from a Bentley Writing Center tutor. That person might legitimately ask you a question to jump-start your imagination, steer you away from the passive voice, or identify a poorly organized paragraph, but should never do the writing for you.

Appropriate use of AI when writing essays or discussion board entries:

  • You are free to use spell check, grammar check, and synonym identification tools (e.g., Grammarly, and MS Word).
  • You are free to use app recommendations when it comes to rephrasing sentences or reorganizing paragraphs you have drafted yourself.
  • You are free to use app recommendations when it comes to tweaking outlines you have drafted yourself.

Inappropriate use of AI when writing essays or discussion board entries:

  • You may not use entire sentences or paragraphs suggested by an app without providing quotation marks and a citation.
  • You may not have an app write a draft (either rough or final) of an assignment for you.
Source: Chris Beneke, Bentley University
Mixed

Digital Literacies and Intercultural Learning (American University in Cairo)

Transparency: When/if you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms in your assignments, please write a note to clarify where in your process you used AI and which platform(s) you used. We will discuss this more throughout the semester in class, and you are encouraged to reflect on this in your writing as well. Please note that what the AI writing tools generate is often inaccurate and you may have to exert effort to create something meaningful out of them. I also hope that when the assignment is about reflecting on your own opinion or experience, you will do so.

Source: Maha Bali, American University in Cairo
Permissive

This template allows students to use AI for problem-solving and concept clarification:

  • Solution verification: Students may use AI tools to check their work after completing problems independently.
  • Step-by-step explanations: When struggling with concepts, AI can provide alternative explanations.
  • Practice problem generation: AI can create similar problems for additional practice.
  • Concept clarification: When textbook explanations are unclear, AI can offer alternative perspectives.

Students must show all work and document any AI assistance used for verification. Final solutions must demonstrate independent understanding of mathematical principles.

Mixed

Human-Computer Interaction; Knowledge-Based AI (Georgia Institute of Technology)

We treat AI-based assistance, such as ChatGPT and Github Copilot, the same way we treat collaboration with other people: you are welcome to talk about your ideas and work with other people, both inside and outside the class, as well as with AI-based assistants. However, all work you submit must be your own. You should never include in your assignment anything that was not written directly by you without proper citation (including quotation marks and in-line citation for direct quotes). Including anything you did not write in your assignment without proper citation will be treated as an academic misconduct case.

If you are unsure where the line is between collaborating with AI and copying from AI, we recommend the following heuristics:

  • Never hit "Copy" within your conversation with an AI assistant. You can copy your own work into your conversation, but do not copy anything from the conversation back into your assignment. Instead, use your interaction with the AI assistant as a learning experience, then let your assignment reflect your improved understanding.
  • Do not have your assignment and the AI agent itself open on your device at the same time. Similar to above, use your conversation with the AI as a learning experience, then close the interaction down, open your assignment, and let your assignment reflect your revised knowledge.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Mixed

Use of AI-Assisted Programming Tools (Georgetown University)

Large language models, such as ChatGPT are rapidly changing the tools available to people writing code. Given their use out in the world, the view we will take in this class is that it does not make sense to ban the use of such tools in our problem sets or projects. For now, here is my guidance on how these can and should be used in our class: First and foremost, note that output from ChatGPT can often be confidently wrong! Run your code and check any output to make sure that this actually works. Such AI assistants will give you a good first guess, but these are really empowering for users who invest in being able to tell when the output is correct or not. If you use ChatGPT or similar resources, credit it at the top of your problem set as you would a programming partner. Where you use direct language or code from ChatGPT, please cite this as you would information taken from other sources more generally.

Source: Andrew Zeitlin, Georgetown University
Mixed

AI tools may be used for:

  • Initial research organization: Creating outlines and organizing research questions
  • Source summarization: Generating brief summaries of sources that must be verified
  • Citation formatting: Ensuring proper citation format across different style guides
  • Structure planning: Suggesting logical structures for arguments

Students must maintain detailed logs of AI assistance and verify all AI-generated information. The core analysis, interpretation, and conclusions must be the student's original work. Any direct text from AI tools must be properly cited, similar to any other source.

Example citation format: OpenAI, ChatGPT. Response to prompt: "Summarize key arguments in favor of carbon taxation" (Accessed April 5, 2025).

Mixed

Use of ChatGPT (University of Pennsylvania)

You may use AI programs e.g. ChatGPT to help generate ideas and brainstorm. However, you should note that the material generated by these programs may be inaccurate, incomplete, or otherwise problematic. Beware that use may also stifle your own independent thinking and creativity.

You may not submit any work generated by an AI program as your own. If you include material generated by an AI program, it should be cited like any other reference material (with due consideration for the quality of the reference, which may be poor).

Any plagiarism or other form of cheating will be dealt with severely under relevant Penn policies.

Source: Holly Fernandez Lynch, University of Pennsylvania

Creating Your Own AI Policy

Key Elements to Include in Your Policy

  1. Clear scope: Define exactly which AI tools are permitted or prohibited
  2. Usage boundaries: Specify which assignments can use AI and which cannot
  3. Documentation requirements: Explain how students should document their AI use
  4. Citation format: Provide examples of how to properly cite AI assistance
  5. Educational rationale: Explain why your policy supports learning objectives
  6. Consequences: Clarify what happens if the policy is violated

Customizing for Your Discipline

When adapting these examples, consider:

  • Your course learning objectives and how AI might support or hinder them
  • The skills students need to develop independently
  • Industry or field standards regarding AI use
  • Institutional policies on academic integrity
  • Opportunities to teach responsible AI use as a transferable skill