Artificial intelligence platforms and acceptable use.
Recent developments in information technology have seen a rapid influx of available artificial intelligence platforms available to the public, either free or for a minimal cost. Some of these AI tools may be seen here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-ai-chatbot/ The information below focuses on one of the most popular publicly available AI tools named ChatGPT, however standards for data stewardship for all ISU employees apply to other platforms as well.
ChatGPT is an AI language model that employs a neural network to process, understand, and generate human-like language. It excels in various tasks, such as text generation, answering questions, summarizing information, translating text, and engaging in conversations with users. The process involves receiving the user's input, breaking it down into manageable parts, processing it, and generating a relevant and coherent response.
Use caution with ChatGPT and other AI services:
Indiana State University does not have any legal agreements with any AI developer that provides any assurance of data confidentiality. Therefore, putting data into ChatGTP or similar services is equivalent to disclosing the data to the public. Therefore, all ISU employees must use the same data sharing precautions that we use every day with the new technology. Specifically, this means the following information should not be placed into any AI service:
Any data whose disclosure to the public would be considered a breach under FERPA, HIPAA, PCI, GLBA or any other Federal or State Statute.
Examples include (not exhaustive):
- Social Security Numbers
- Credit Card Numbers
- Personally identifiable medical information
- Financial Aid information
- Student names and grades
For more information about data security at Indiana State University please refer to the Regulated Data KB article.
Additionally, great caution is suggested with the following information:
- Research data/Intellectual Property
- Source code
- Proprietary data
- Internal meeting notes
- Hardware related information
- Presentation notes
- Emails
- Vendor and/or supply-chain information
While generative AI may prove to be a valuable tool, our use of it is limited by our control over how data is stored and accessed. Please be cognizant of Indiana State University data stewardship responsibilities as you explore these new technologies and their capabilities.
Limitations of ChatGPT:
These include the potential for misinformation, since its database contains information from the internet, which may not always be accurate. Additionally, its knowledge is limited to data collected in September 2021, which means it may not be up-to-date on current events. Therefore, when asked about current events, ChatGPT may fabricate information or indicate that it is unable to provide a response. ChatGPT can also struggle with understanding certain language aspects, leading to off-topic or unclear responses. Furthermore, it lacks human qualities, such as common sense and personability.
ChatGPT is not a human being:
It does not possess emotions, consciousness, or the same level of understanding as humans. While it is designed to provide accurate and helpful information, it can still make errors or provide incorrect data. ChatGPT might also exhibit biases based on the data used to train it, although efforts are made to minimize such biases. Users should always verify and cross-check the information they receive from ChatGPT before relying on it, especially when it comes to making important decisions or forming opinions.
AI and Intellectual Property:
AI generative output is derivative of existing data, including both inputs of writing, text, source code, images, and sound that may be the intellectual property of others. The federal government and courts have begun addressing whether generative AI programs may infringe copyright in existing works, either by making copies of existing works to train the AI or by generating outputs that resemble those existing works.
In addition, the U.S. Copyright Office recognizes copyright only in works “created by a human being.” and courts have likewise declined to extend copyright protection to nonhuman authors. This means that AI outputs are not intellectually works as it stands in the United States.
Please keep these things in mind, as the use of AI is in its infancy, and thus pending legislation and legal precedents may evolve cause issue with ownership.