General Resources

Oakland University provides access to a suite of enterprise and publicly available GenAI tools across key platforms like Google, Microsoft and Adobe, specifically curated to support teaching, research and administrative productivity. This section offers an overview of these platforms, including Google Gemini, NotebookLM, Microsoft Copilot Chat and Adobe's capabilities, highlighting their unique functions for the OU community. All users are reminded that the secure and responsible utilization of these tools is crucial in protecting OU data across all cloud services.

University Generative AI Tools

GenAI Tools at OU: Platforms for Learning and Innovation

The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the academic landscape. AI@OU encourages students, faculty and staff to responsibly explore and utilize a variety of powerful GenAI tools to enhance research, learning, creativity and productivity.

All members of the OU community are reminded to review Policy #860 Information Security before storing data in cloud services, including any Office 365 Education, Google or Adobe product.

Here is an overview of key platforms relevant to the Oakland University community:

Google Gemini

Gemini is a sophisticated generative GenAI chat application that serves as a versatile, multi-purpose assistant. It is designed to aid in creating new content, brainstorming ideas, drafting and summarizing complex texts, and assisting with general research. Through its powerful language models, Gemini enables users to quickly explore topics, generate code or find information, making it a valuable tool for initiating projects and accelerating coursework.

OU Google accounts have access to the free version of Gemini, which can be accessed via the web app or mobile app (Android and iOS).

Google NotebookLM

NotebookLM is a GenAI-powered research and note-taking assistant that excels at synthesizing complex information. Users can upload their own documents, lecture notes, PDFs and Google Docs, transforming their files into interactive sources. NotebookLM uses the Gemini models to generate summaries, answer questions based only on the uploaded materials, and quickly synthesize insights across multiple documents, making it useful for deep analysis and literature reviews.

OU Google accounts have access to the free NotebookLM app as a Core Service covered under our agreement with Google. You can access NotebookLM via the web at https://notebooklm.google.com or the mobile app (Android and iOS).

Microsoft Copilot Chat

Copilot Chat is a GenAI-powered assistant designed to help users find information, generate content, and streamline tasks through web-based sources and limited file uploads. All users now have free access to the basic version of the software. Users should note that this version does not include all features of the full product and does not provide access to organizational data such as emails, documents or calendars.

The Copilot Chat website can be used with an Oakland University account from the following addresses:

Given that Microsoft Copilot is a separate service from Copilot Chat, users will not be able to access Copilot Chat from copilot.microsoft.com. Please refer to the two links above to utilize this service. Office 365 Education may be used only for materials and information that are not Confidential, and not covered by HIPAA, FERPA, PHI or other similar regulations. Office 365 should be considered a personal service not suitable for official university or departmental business. Before use, please review the posted Security Information.

Adobe

All full-time faculty and staff have been provisioned with an Adobe Acrobat Pro and Adobe Express license. The Adobe Creative Cloud suite, including foundational tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro, now features robust GenAI capabilities powered by Adobe Firefly. These tools revolutionize creative workflows by allowing users to:

Generatively Fill and Generatively Expand in Photoshop: Non-destructively add, remove, or expand content in images using text prompts.
Text-to-Image Generation in Firefly: Quickly create high-quality images from simple text descriptions.
Advanced Editing: Use GenAI to automatically adjust video colors, stabilize shaky footage or streamline complex design tasks, significantly accelerating the process of creative production.

Adobe Login Process

Access Adobe: Go to the Adobe website (adobe.com) or open an Adobe application like Creative Cloud or Acrobat.
Enter your email: Use the same email address that's associated with your organization's Adobe account. You must be using an OU email.
When prompted to log in, select the option for "Company or School Account"

Note: It is very important to log in by clicking "Company or School Account" or else you will not have access and will receive pop-ups stating that you are using a trial version.

Definitions

Term	Definition
Artificial Intelligence	An engineered or machine-based system or functionality that is designed, for a given set of objectives, to generate outputs such as text, images, predictions or to make recommendations or decisions influencing human action, or real or virtual environments. The term AI encompasses Generative AI (GenAI), Predictive AI, and associated Language Models.
Attribution	Giving credit when you use AI-generated content, just like citing a source in research or writing.
Bias	Prejudices or imbalances in AI outputs caused by the data the system was trained on.
Confidential Data	Any information that is contractually protected as confidential information and any other information that is considered by the University appropriate for confidential treatment. See the Oakland University Data Classification Policy for examples of Confidential Data.
Data Classification	Oakland University has three data classification types: Confidential, Internal and Public
Data Owner	University officials, including Directors, Officers of Instruction, Officers of Research and Officers of Administration, who are responsible for determining University Data classifications, working with the applicable Information Security Office in performing risk assessments, and developing the appropriate procedures to implement the Information Security Policies in their respective areas of responsibility.
Data Steward	Work with relevant committees and business units to align data entry standards with quality standards. Data Stewards are documented in the Data Stewards Approval Table (login required).
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)	GenAI refers to a class of artificial intelligence models designed to create new content, such as text, images, music or code, by learning patterns from existing data. These models can generate original outputs that mimic human creativity, often producing results based on prompts, examples, or instructions, and are widely used in content creation, simulations and research.
Hallucination	When an AI produces information that sounds convincing but is inaccurate, misleading or completely made up.
Institutional AI Tool	A version of AI (like Gemini, NotebookLM, or Copilot at OU) that is licensed and secured for university use, with privacy protections.
Internal Data	Any information that is proprietary or produced only for use by members of the University community who have a legitimate purpose to access such data.
Large Language Model (LLM)	LLMs are a subset of generative AI that are specifically trained to understand, process, and generate human language. LLMs are built on vast datasets of text and can produce coherent and contextually relevant text responses, making them useful for tasks such as language translation, summarization, content generation and answering complex queries.
Output	The response the AI generates based on your prompt.
Personally Identifiable Information or PII	Any information about an individual that (1) can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name or biometric records, (2) is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial and employment information, which if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in harm to that individual and (3) is protected by federal, state or local laws and regulations or industry standards.
Prompt	The question, instruction, or input you give an AI system to generate a response.
Prompt Engineering	The practice of refining and adjusting prompts to get clearer, more useful outputs from AI.
Public Data	Any information that may or must be made available to the general public, with no legal restrictions on its access or use.
Sensitive Data	Any data defined as either Confidential or Internal data per the Oakland University Information Security Policy.
University Data	All items of information created, used, stored or transmitted by the University community to carry out the institutional mission of teaching, research and clinical care, as well as all data used in the execution of the University’s required business functions.

Ethical AI

The foundation for the ethical integration of GenAI at OU is centered on the principle of human oversight and responsibility, ensuring that GenAI systems support, but never replace, human judgment, critical thinking and institutional values.

As we integrate powerful GenAI tools into our operations, learning and research, every member of the university community shares the responsibility for their ethical use. This means upholding academic integrity by ensuring proper authorship and avoiding plagiarism; faculty and students must maintain critical thinking to prevent over-reliance and detect misinformation. For staff and researchers, adherence to data security and confidentiality is paramount, ensuring that sensitive or restricted data is never entered into public AI prompts. Finally, all users must respect copyright and intellectual property laws, recognizing that human oversight is the ultimate safeguard against risk.

Beyond the digital and ethical concerns, the community must be aware of the significant environmental footprint of GenAI. Training and operating large language models demand immense energy consumption from powerful data centers, contributing to a substantial carbon footprint and high water usage for cooling. We urge all users to employ GenAI tools judiciously and with purpose, prioritizing efficient applications. This is part of our shared commitment to sustainable practices and ensuring responsible resource use across the entire university.