NOTE: These are living guidelines and are continuously updated as new information is received. All information is subject to change. These guidelines were last updated on February 12, 2025. 

AI technologies have a profound impact on education, research, and the daily lives of the students, faculty, and staff at Ball State University. While we are optimistic about AI, we understand that these technologies bring their own sets of challenges and must be appropriately addressed.

As Cardinals, we are committed to fostering an ethical approach to AI that aligns with our enduring values:  

  • Innovation. We commit to responsible AI experimentation and implementation to enhance creativity, learning, and research. 

  • Courage. We commit to willingly exploring the possibilities within AI while also addressing potential ethical challenges and risks. 

  • Integrity. We commit to upholding human creativity and critical thinking with our AI usage, avoiding misuse. 

  • Inclusiveness. We commit to developing and using AI in accessible and equitable ways, designing and testing with safety as a priority. 

  • Social responsibility. We commit to minimizing harm, maintaining rigorous standards, and prioritizing ethical considerations when using AI. 

  • Gratitude. We commit to valuing collaboration and appreciating the ethical guidelines that shape responsible AI use. 

Our principles and values show our commitment to responsible and impactful AI usage. We believe in diverse ethical approaches to human relationships with AI. As a starting point for your intellectual and ethical exploration, we present: 

  • Digital Humanism: This perspective emphasizes the role of digital technologies in enriching human experiences and upholding our core values. As we integrate AI, our goal is to enhance human potential and interaction, not replace it. 

  • Post-Humanism: Post-humanism considers how human identity and agency might evolve with advanced technologies. It invites us to rethink traditional boundaries and explore what it means to be human in an AI-driven world. 

  • Trans-Humanism: This approach promotes using AI and other technologies to extend human capacities and overcome limitations. While offering exciting possibilities, it also challenges us to carefully weigh the ethical implications of pushing beyond natural human boundaries.

Ball State students, faculty, and staff are highly encouraged to use University-approved AI tools. 

Before purchasing any AI tools or services that are not from the University or its partners, please submit a request to the Technology HelpDesk or call 765-285-1517 to discuss your intended use of these software.

Faculty and staff at Ball State must utilize university-approved AI tools in virtual meetings.  

For meeting transcription and summaries, employees and students need to use the built-in AI Companion features provided in Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Third-party tools such as otter.ai or read.ai are not permitted, as they create data security and privacy risks.

Please note that the transcription tools in Zoom and Teams are for in-the-moment access and transcription, and not a replacement for full ADA-compliant, human-generated captions.

At Ball State University, the data you can upload to AI platforms depends on your account type and the data's classification.

For personal accounts and basic accounts accessed through the Ball State login, you're only allowed to upload:

  • Public Data: Public data poses very little risk to the university if it's accessed or share, and examples include a student's name, major or degree.

If you have an account with advanced AI models and Ball State login activated (Gemini Pro, GPT Team, Copilot), you are permitted to upload Public, Internal, or Restricted Data:

  • Internal Data: Financial reports, departmental memos, and meeting minutes are considered internal data.
  • Restricted Data: Financial aid data, FERPA-protected information (grades and transcripts), employee information (including addresses and phone numbers), class schedules and birthdates are all considered restricted data.

Critical data—including HIPAA-protected patient data, social security numbers, credit card and banking information, and passport or driver's license information—is never to be uploaded to AI tools.

Data retention refers to how long AI systems store user data, including inputs, outputs, and metadata. Retained data is used for processing, training, and improving AI models so you can use AI tools with enhanced accuracy and improved performance. 

Retention periods of AI tools vary depending on complexity of use. Some tools retain data only temporarily for processing, while others store it longer to ensure improvements or compliance. It is important to keep in mind that external AI tools, like Gemini and ChatGPT, may store your data. Ball State is not responsible for any personal data stored on external AI tools. 

Ball State’s custom created, in-house AI tools do not use your data to train or teach models, and we do not sell your data. Cardinal DocuQuery only stores your data to preserve your chat histories so you can reference them when needed. If you delete your chats in Cardinal DocuQuery, your data will be completely deleted from Ball State’s system. All GrantsAI and CloudLab data is controlled by you, the user. 

If you have concerns or questions about data retention, contact The Digital Corps at digitalcorps@bsu.edu.

Ball State University is dedicated to creating a future where AI positively impacts both society and the planet. We recognize the energy consumption and resource demands required to power AI. While our impact is likely small in comparison to our partners, we are continuously calculating how much energy we are using to power our AI projects. We are committed to following the lead of our partners as they navigate this evolving landscape, and have highlighted some of their sustainability goals and information below. 

In addition, we affirm our commitment to the university’s larger sustainability goals. We will incorporate environmental principles and environmentally responsible practices as fundamental and integrated components of our AI efforts. To learn more about Ball State’s sustainability efforts and how you can help, visit bsu.edu/about/sustainability.

Google

  • Net zero emissions across operations and value chain by 2030.
  • Reduce 50% of combined Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 2030 compared to its 2019 base year.
  • Run on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid it operates in by 2030.
  • Replenish 120% of the freshwater volume consumption on average across offices and data centers by 2030.

Interesting fact: From 2010 to 2024, Google contracted for 22 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy generation with more than 170 agreements globally. 

Google’s transparency and dedication to environmentally responsible practices allow for the advancement of AI solutions while mitigating some of its environmental footprint. To learn more about Google’s environmental strategy and its continued goal of responsibly managing the resource consumption of AI, check out their operations overview.

OpenAI and Microsoft

  • By 2030, Microsoft will be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste.
  • By 2050, Microsoft will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.
  • By 2030, Microsoft will replenish more water than it consumes across its direct operations.

Interesting facts: Microsoft contracted for 34 GW of carbon-free electricity across 24 countries. It also entered long-term agreements to procure nearly 30 million metric tons of carbon removal. Additionally, it recently required that 100% of its solar photovoltaic modules will be reused or recycled.  

To learn more about Microsoft, which powers OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and its continued goal of responsibly managing the resource consumption of AI, check out their sustainability page and annual report.

Amazon

  • Net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
  • 100% of the electricity consumed by Amazon is matched with renewable energy sources.
  • AWS will be water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than it uses in its direct operations.

Interesting fact: 100% of the electricity consumed by Amazon has been matched with renewable energy sources since 2023, 7 years ahead of its goal.

To learn more about Amazon's goals, operations, and progress on responsible consumption, visit their sustainability page.

Adobe

  • Net zero by 2050.
  • Operate with 100% renewable energy by 2035.
  • Reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 42% by FY2030 from its FY2022 base year.
  • Reduce scope 3 GHG emissions by 52% by FY2030 from a FY2022 base year.

Interesting facts: Adobe has 20 Windspire wind turbines at its San Jose headquarters. It partnered with Enel Green Energy and Facebook in 2018 to do an aggregated purchase of wind energy, where it receives 10 MW from 2019-2028. 

To learn more about Adobe's environmental strategy and responsible resource consumption to power AI features, read its energy conservation report. 

If AI is used in academic research, it must be appropriately cited following MLA, APA, or Chicago style guidelines.

At Ball State, we recommend being upfront about AI usage when creating draft documents, emails, records, and files with the following citation process: 

This document contains AI content from [PLATFORM] [MODEL] generated on [DATE]. AI was used to [INTENT]. 

For example: 

This document contains AI content from Gemini 2.0 Flash generated on January 1, 2026. AI was used to create an initial list of talking points for the speaker. 

Please remember that using AI tools to complete assignments and claiming it as your own work is a direct violation of Ball State’s Academic Integrity Policy. Faculty are required to report violations to the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. 

Our commitment to ethical AI usage extends beyond implementation. We aim to foster ongoing critical reflection. You can download a set of reflection questions is designed to encourage you to think about the broader impact of your AI projects to ensure your usage is socially and environmentally responsible.

Download the AI Impact Reflection Questions