The following email announcement was sent to Rutgers faculty and staff on January 16, 2025.
Dear Members of the Rutgers Community:
As we start a new semester, I would like to share an update on artificial intelligence (AI) at Rutgers. AI is seemingly everywhere these days, with technology companies rapidly integrating AI functionality into apps and services, including many of those used here at Rutgers. With this in mind, I wanted to provide the following information and resources to support the community as we explore and understand AI.
AI tools at Rutgers
A number of tools with AI capabilities are now available to Rutgers faculty, staff, and students, including these:
- Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini: These AI assistants (or “chatbots”) are now available to assist you in writing, planning, brainstorming, and more. Be sure to log in with your Rutgers credentials; in this way, the tools will not use your information to train the models underlying the technology, providing protection for university data.
- Grammarly: Grammarly, which was introduced at Rutgers last semester, now includes the writing tool’s AI features. These features allow you to use AI prompts (e.g., ‘Make this persuasive’ or ‘Add bullet points’) to suggest or recommend improvements in your writing.
- Zoom: Zoom’s personal assistant, AI Companion 2.0, offers tools to generate meeting summaries and tasks, provide quick meeting recaps, and enable post-meeting queries.
Learning about AI
AI is definitely a new and exciting arena for technology, though also one with challenges and a learning curve. With that in mind, we have created a webpage with LinkedIn Learning courses about AI. This webpage provides links to a broad variety of courses on AI, covering topics such as building AI literacy, ethics in the age of AI, practical applications of AI, and prompt engineering.
Rutgers schools and departments may also offer additional guidance or resources tailored to specific disciplines or uses.
Next steps for AI at Rutgers
A number of universitywide working groups have been formed to discuss the high-level opportunities, concerns, and issues raised by the advent of powerful AI systems. These groups are tasked with reporting back to university leadership and providing recommendations about AI at Rutgers, including additions or changes to university policy.
Academic integrity and AI
At Rutgers, guidance on the appropriate use of AI tools in academic settings will typically vary depending on the discipline, course, and/or instructor. Faculty should consider providing guidance to students on the use of AI to support learning and coursework, and students are encouraged to review course materials and speak with their instructors to understand any specific expectations related to AI. As noted in Rutgers Academic Integrity Policy 10.2.13, the principles of academic integrity require that students ensure that coursework be “the student’s own and created without the aid of impermissible technologies, materials, or collaborations.”
For additional AI resources, please visit our hub for AI at Rutgers, which includes our initial guidance on the use of AI, tips on learning about AI, and links to technology tools at Rutgers with AI functionality.
I appreciate the cooperation and dedication of the Rutgers community as we navigate the world of AI. By staying informed and engaged, we can harness the potential of AI while also addressing its challenges.
Michele Norin
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer