For data protection, Microsoft Copilot on the web and Microsoft Copilot 365 are recommended tools because of enterprise data protection, but only when you are logged in with your Iowa State email and password. Avoid using the “free to the public” version. When logged into Copilot, you can use it for confidential data. Google’s AI tools — Gemini and NotebookLM — are also safe to use when logged in with your university email and password. You can use these for confidential data too, when logged in.
Can I use ChatGPT?
The free version of ChatGPT can be used but only with data classified as low by Iowa State's Data Classifications Standards and Guidance policy. "Low" is defined as "data which may or must be open to the general public; this information is not restricted by local, state, national, or international statute regarding disclosure or use." The university is working to add a license to allow use with other classifications of data.
This means that the data you upload, the prompts you enter and responses Copilot generates are not shared or used to train AI foundation models. Microsoft only uses your data as instructed by your organization.
When using Copilot on the web, look for a green shield icon in the upper right. Hover over the icon to see confirmation that “enterprise data protection applies to this chat.” If you don’t see a green shield, you need to log in with your Iowa State email and password. For Copilot 365 use, you are, by default, logged in as it integrates into other Microsoft apps like Word and Outlook.
Log in to Google Gemini to protect your data
Like Copilot, Gemini at the university also has “enterprise-grade data protection.” This type of protection ensures that — when logged into Google Gemini with your university email and password — your interactions and uploaded content are private. They are not used to train models or shared with third parties.
Confirm you're logged in by hovering over your user icon in the upper right. Check that the email address displayed is your Iowa State email. If it's a personal email, log out and then log back in with your university credentials.
What about Grammarly and Adobe?
Verification of data security with other AI tools is in progress. Check back on this page for updates soon.
