Institutional Documentation

Working Paper: Principles, Definitions, and Guidance For Working With Generative Artificial Intelligence at Colby College 

The College has established the following principles to guide how to approach generative AI. These principles are rooted in our educational mission and our commitment to responsible and trustworthy academic and business practices. Guided by these principles, it is our goal to use and develop human-centered generative AI systems that result in fair, relevant, and meaningful learning experiences: 

• Privacy: The College prioritizes the privacy rights of our students, faculty, and staff, in the use and development of generative AI systems and in providing them control over their personal data, including automated decisions that are based on their personal data. Our use of AI is consistent with the statements we make regarding academic integrity. 

🔺Review the Privacy Policy and Academic Integrity Guidelines for more details.

• Security and Reliability: The College develops and employs safety and security practices that test and evaluate generative AI systems to minimize the risks of harm and to provide reliability and security. 

🔺Review Colby College Data Classification Policy, Policy on Acceptable Use of Digital Resources, and Information Security Guidelines for more details. 

🔺Review the access details and data classification level for the available AI tools at the College.

• Bias and Non-discrimination: The College strives to use, design, and develop generative AI systems that are unbiased and fair and to educate students, faculty, and staff about the potential for bias in the training data and outputs of GAI systems and tools.

• Transparency: The College believes AI systems should have explainable outputs and provide relevant stakeholders disclosure about when, where, and how they are used. 

• Accountability: The College’s practices related to generative AI should be clear and accountable to internal and external stakeholders. The College will always invest in appropriate mechanisms to support the safe and responsible use of AI. 

🔺For more information about bias and non-discrimination, transparency, and accountability, review the following resources:

• AI Resources — on this site

• Resources for Generative AI — by the Center for Teaching and Learning

• AI LibGuides — by the Library

We believe that these principles align with Colby’s values and are essential to giving students, faculty, and staff members confidence in our responsible use of generative AI systems. We are committed to continuously reviewing and updating these generative AI principles as AI systems, and the regulatory landscapes governing the use of AI, evolve.

Using Generative AI at Colby College - A Legal Perspective

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Support

The Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Colby facilitates interdisciplinary, human-centered scholarship using rich datasets with real-world consequences and prepares students for a future where AI is transforming industries, careers, and modes of discovery, creativity, and scholarship. The institute also provides funding to support Colby faculty interested in exploring new ways to incorporate AI tools and methodologies into their teaching and research or for designing new courses to include meaningful learning opportunities with AI.

• For troubleshooting, access issues, or information security: ITS Support Center or support@colby.edu

• For academic setup, operational guidance, or consultation: Academic Technology Services or teched@colby.edu

• For advanced academic or research-related support: Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence or davisai@colby.edu

 If you have any questions, feedback, or corrections regarding the information provided, please contact Academic Technology Services at teched@colby.edu to get in touch.