ALLOWABLE AND PROHIBITED AI USES

Know the policies that guide you.

The use of generative AI at UW–Whitewater is governed by policies from the Universities of Wisconsin, the Board of Regents, and federal privacy and security laws. Understanding these policies is essential to ensure ethical, legal, and secure use of AI tools in academic, research, and administrative work.

Key policies and guidance for GenAI use

UW-Whitewater institutional data

Data classification and protection (SYS 1031)

Defines how to handle sensitive data securely

Outlines how to protect personal and institutional data

Risk management (SYS 1039)

Covers security risks in IT, including AI-generated code

Acceptable use of IT resources (RPD 25-3)

Defines responsible and prohibited uses of university technology

Universities of Wisconsin AI guidance [PDF]

Overview of ethical and secure use of AI in the UW System

UW-Madison AI policy

Data classification

Classification Level	Risk if Confidentiality / Integrity / Availability Is Lost	Typical Data Types	Usual Audience / Access Scope
Low Risk	Negligible operational, financial, legal, or reputational impact	Public Data – openly published for anyone Internal Data – shared only within the university, not posted publicly	Public (for Public Data) or all campus personnel (for Internal Data)
Moderate Risk	Moderate operational, financial, legal, or reputational impact	Sensitive Data – limited to specific users, roles, or groups; default category for any data not otherwise classified	Authorized units, faculty, staff, and researchers with a legitimate business need
High Risk	Significant operational, financial, legal, or reputational impact	Restricted Data – highly confidential information accessible to a very small, clearly defined group	Select individuals on a strict need-to-know basis; heightened safeguards required

Quick reference: If a dataset hasn’t been explicitly labeled Public, Internal, or Restricted, treat it as Sensitive (Moderate Risk) by default.

Allowable use

Public instances of generative AI tools may be used in limited and appropriate ways that do not involve confidential, sensitive, or restricted information. Allowable uses include activities that support research, teaching, learning, productivity, creativity, and communication while adhering to academic integrity standards and university policies.

Examples of acceptable uses include:

Brainstorming ideas or topics for research, projects, or writing
Summarizing publicly available articles or resources
Proofreading or generating drafts of non-confidential documents or communications
Assisting with coding or technical tasks using public, non-proprietary data
Supporting course-related learning, provided usage complies with instructor guidelines and is properly cited when required
Drafting general educational or outreach materials intended for public audiences

Users are responsible for ensuring that any AI-generated content is accurate, ethical, and does not violate university policies on plagiarism, privacy, or appropriate use of technology.

Students must follow course-specific AI use statements and cite AI tools when used in academic work, as outlined in the syllabus or assignment instructions. Please check with your instructor on their AI use policy if you have any questions.

Generative AI should be considered an aid — not a replacement — for critical thinking, academic integrity, or human judgment.

Prohibited uses of GenAI at UW-Whitewater

Currently, Universities of Wisconsin System Administration states: “ … any use of public instances of generative AI tools should be with the assumption that no personal, confidential, proprietary, or otherwise sensitive information may be used with it. In general, student records subject to FERPA and any other information classified as Medium or High Risk (relevant policy SYS 1031) should not be used in public instances of generative AI tools.

Similarly, public instances of generative AI tools should not be used to generate output that would be considered confidential.

Examples include (but are not limited to)

proprietary or unpublished research;
legal analysis or advice;
recruitment, personnel, or disciplinary decision-making;
completion of academic work in a manner not allowed by the instructor;
creation of non-public instructional materials; and grading.”

To protect privacy, security, academic integrity, and university resources, the following uses of generative AI are strictly prohibited under UW-Whitewater, Universities of Wisconsin, and Board of Regents policies.

Uploading sensitive or protected data

Do not enter any of the following into AI tools:

FERPA-protected student records
HIPAA-protected health information
Employee performance data
Unpublished research, funding proposals, or confidential materials
Intellectual property not publicly released
Information subject to export control regulations

Relevant policy: SYS 1031, SYS 1040, Regent Policy 25-3

Using AI for harmful or illegal content

You may not use AI to:

Generate or distribute malware, phishing, or spam
Create content that enables harassment, threats, stalking, or discrimination
Produce or share sexually explicit or obscene material
Help others violate federal, state, or institutional laws or contracts

Relevant policy: Regent Policy 25-3

Using AI-generated code without review

Do not implement AI-generated code in university systems unless it has been reviewed and approved by a human expert to ensure it’s safe and secure.

Relevant policy: SYS 1039

Violating copyright or IP law

Do not:

Upload copyrighted material into AI tools
Use AI to generate content that infringes on copyrights or patents
Share research results that could compromise patentability

Relevant policy: Regent Policy 25-3, SYS 346