Artificial Intelligence at SLU

At Saint Louis University, we don't just adapt to the future, we help create it. Artificial intelligence presents an incredible opportunity to deepen our research, enrich our learning, and expand our work. This initiative is our commitment to harnessing the power of AI thoughtfully and ethically.

We are guided by a simple principle: technology must always advance our humanistic mission: the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity. These guidelines provide direction for the general use of AI, along with specific guidance related to teaching and learning, research, and administrative applications. We encourage you to explore these guidelines as we work to shape the responsible use of AI on our campuses.

This page provides access to the AI guidelines and other supporting policies and procedures to help the SLU community navigate the uses and restrictions of artificial intelligence tools on our campuses.

General AI Usage Guidelines

All uses of AI within Saint Louis University must be conducted with judgment and in a manner that aligns with the University’s mission, values, existing policies, and applicable laws and regulations. Faculty, staff and students who use AI tools for their work or studies must comply with the University’s general AI guidelines, as well as those specific to teaching and learning, research, and administrative use.

View the full list of AI guidelines

In general, our community must use AI tools with the following in mind:

• Be transparent with your use of AI tools, and disclose the use and role of AI in any work product.
• Comply with SLU’s privacy and data security policies, and any applicable laws.
• Do not input restricted, confidential, and/or personal data, or information that violates intellectual property laws into AI tools, unless they are licensed by the University and specific guidance for the use of those tools is issued.
• Confirm the accuracy of the output of AI tools, and check for any bias or discrimination in the results.
• Instruct the generative AI system not to use inputs for training the system

Academic Use of AI (Teaching and Learning)

The uses of AI in academic settings should follow the general guidelines detailed in the full list of AI guidelines, as well as those statements specific to teaching and learning. At a high-level:

• Students must abide by our academic integrity policies, faculty syllabi and guidance from the student handbook when using AI for coursework. They must get permission from their instructors and fully disclose the use of and cite AI in their work.
• Instructors should set clear expectations for their students, including appropriate use. These tools should be used to enhance pedagogy, not replace instruction and engagement in coursework. AI tools may be used in instruction when it relates to the curriculum of the course, and discussion on the use of AI tools in the classroom is encouraged.

Academic Use of AI (Research Settings)

Faculty that engage in research and scholarly works should follow the general guidelines detailed in the full list of AI guidelines, as well as those statements specific to use in research settings. At a high-level:

• Faculty researchers must comply with federal and institutional research integrity policies, and be transparent in their use of AI in their methods and authorship of scholarly works, including following any written policies outlined by scientific or other journals that publish research output. They must check for the accuracy of the output of any AI tools utilized during the course of their research.
• Faculty researchers must not upload any unpublished research data or other confidential data into non-University sanctioned AI tools, particularly those tools that use the data to train their AI models.
• The application of AI in sensitive areas of research may require IRB approval.

Administrative Use of AI

Administrative applications in higher education are distinct in their enterprise-wide impact, affecting faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders. The thoughtful implementation of AI tools at the administrative level may enhance efficiency, optimize resources, and empower employees to advance the university’s mission and corporate purposes. Any use of AI in the day-to-day work of the University should follow the general guidelines detailed in the full list of AI guidelines, as well as those statements specific to use in administrative settings. At a high-level:

• The use of AI in critical administrative functions (i.e., admissions, hiring, student services, etc.) must be clearly conveyed to those impacted by those functions and regularly audited for fairness and accuracy. Any automated decision making should include a mechanism for human review and appeal.
• Faculty and staff should employ responsible use of AI tools, and should not share confidential or protected data into non-University sanctioned AI tools.
• Faculty and staff using AI tools for administrative use should seek approval from their direct supervisor, while also adhering to all AI guidelines when using the tools.

Applicable University Policies

Faculty, staff and students should also adhere to the following University policies or procedures when using AI tools for teaching and learning, research, and/or administrative uses.