Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools at Concordia
Concordia is committed to the responsible, ethical and secure use of generative AI (GenAI). Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS) ensures that all GenAI tools deployed at the university meet rigorous standards for security, privacy, accessibility and legal compliance.
Overview
This page provides an overview of the GenAI tools currently approved for use at Concordia. When using GenAI tools, members of the Concordia community are expected to adhere to Concordia's policies and guidelines, including those related to information security, privacy, and academic integrity.
GenAI tools at Concordia
Microsoft Copilot Chat is a generative AI assistant available to all Concordia faculty, staff and students through their university Microsoft 365 account. This basic, web-based version of Microsoft Copilot can be used for productivity and experimentation.
Copilot Chat is our recommended generative AI tool for university-related work. When you sign in with your Concordia account, Microsoft’s enterprise data protection protects your prompts and responses, and Microsoft doesn’t use them to train its AI models. Free consumer AI tools don’t offer these protections. Don’t sign in with a personal Microsoft account (for example, Hotmail, Outlook or Live), which isn’t protected in the same way.
When signed in with your Concordia account, you may use data classified up to Class 4 (restricted). Use extreme caution with sensitive personal information, such as Social Insurance Numbers (SINs), banking details, biometric identifiers and health information. Use it only for the purposes for which it was collected and in accordance with the Policy Regarding the Protection of Personal Information and Access to Information (SG-9). Never enter non-public university data or personal information about students, staff or other constituents when signed in with a personal Microsoft account.
As with any generative AI tool, review Copilot’s responses for accuracy before relying on them.
Learn more about Copilot Chat in the IT Service Catalog:
Open models support open research. Ollama lets you run open models securely on a personal computer. Using large language models (LLMs) for research and development is allowed, including contained demos, local experiments, and model evaluation and benchmarking. Integrating LLMs with a virtual assistant is not permitted.
IITS does not provide licences for these GenAI tools and agents. Individual use for productivity and experimentation is permitted, provided it also complies with Concordia's policies and guidelines.
The Premium version is different from the Copilot chat. Concordia does not currently provide licences for this premium version of Microsoft 365 Copilot which is deeply integrated into Microsoft 365 software, but is investigating a secure and equitable access strategy.
This licence includes access to Copilot for Teams, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 apps.
Cannot be used on university networks, computing devices, or in conjunction with university data.
Accuracy and responsibility
As with any generative AI tool, review and verify AI-generated content before using it. Responses may contain inaccuracies, omissions or content that requires additional fact-checking.
Before relying on a response:
- Check facts, figures, dates and names against reliable sources.
- Confirm that any cited sources, quotations or links actually exist and say what the response claims.
- Look for missing context or perspectives.
You remain responsible for the accuracy of anything you use or share.
Learn more
AI guidance and resources for students, faculty and staff are available on the Library's AI Resources Hub.
Questions or feedback?
Concordia aims to foster an environment where AI is used securely, responsibly, ethically, and in alignment with compliance requirements, institutional values, and national standards.
For questions or input on the use of GenAI at Concordia, contact:
Caroline Santos
Director, Strategic AI Integration & Data Management
Concordia AI Advisory Group Member
caroline.santos@concordia.ca