Overview
ChatGPT is now available
ChatGPT EDU is now available to all USC faculty, staff, and students. To start using ChatGPT EDU, first you must join the workspace by clicking the activation link in the invitation email from OpenAI. Then, proceed through the login process. For instructions, refer to the ITS guide: Logging into USC’s ChatGPT Edu Workspace.
This guide provides an introduction to the available generative AI (genAI) tools at USC, and outlines guidance for using them in a way that protects University data.
What is generative AI?
In this guide, we focus on online conversational chatbots such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini—web-based tools that you type a prompt into, and that return a response almost instantly using generative AI. These responses may include text, code, graphics, or audio or video files, and you can get different results by repeating the same prompt.
These machine responses are the result of the chatbot having been "trained" on a tremendous amount of mostly human-created information. As TechRepublic explains, "Generative AI uses a computing process known as deep learning to analyze patterns in large sets of data and replicate those patterns to create new data that mimics human-generated data." This training data includes an incredible range of material showing the depths of human creativity and knowledge, but that material is not thoroughly vetted for inaccuracy or bias (including toxic material and stereotypes), and some of it may be copyrighted or pirated.
You can use generative AI tools for a wide range of functions, such as:
- Brainstorming and content creation
- Editing and summarization
- Data analysis
- Programming
Generative AI vs. other forms of AI
This guide focuses on conversational chatbots powered by generative AI, but generative AI is just one subset of artificial intelligence, and software that isn't explicitly an AI tool can still include AI-powered features. Examples include the "remove background" option in Adobe Photoshop and the Photos app for Windows, spam filters in Outlook, and banking apps that let you deposit checks from your phone. These examples don't use generative AI, but they do rely on AI technologies.
Approved generative AI tools at USC
The approved tools in this section are all enterprise-grade tools. This means that, as long as you are accessing them with your USC account, your data is protected by privacy and security features not available to personal (non-USC) accounts.
For the latest information about AI tools at USC, refer to the following ITS page:
Approved tools, no additional cost
ChatGPT
Copilot Chat
Google Gemini
What it is
Conversational chatbot available as an online interface.
Conversational chatbot available as an online interface.
Conversational chatbot available as an online interface.
How to access it
Available for free to all USC faculty, staff, and students through invitation email and activation with a USC account. See
ITS's login guide.
Available for free to all USC users by signing in with a USC account at
https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat.
Available for free to all USC faculty, staff, and students by signing in with a USC account at
https://gemini.google.com/app.
Approved data types
Public and internal data only.
Public and internal data. If you need to work with confidential data, contact ts@dornsife.usc.edu.
Public and internal data only.
More information
ITS guideDTS guide
DTS guide
NA
Note about ChatGPT Codex
ChatGPT Codex is available by request. There is no additional cost to individuals, but because it incurs compute and licensing costs for USC, access is granted on a case-by-case basis. To request ChatGPT Codex, please email ts@dornsife.usc.edu with:
- Business justification
- Manager approval
We will coordinate your request with ITS.
Approved tools requiring a subscription
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Google Workspace AI Pro
What it is
GenAI assistant embedded in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, and enhanced chatbot with custom GPT options.
GenAI assistant that integrates with Google apps as a paid add-on.
How to access it
Available as an add-on to USC Microsoft accounts through the DTS service catalog:
Available as an add-on to USC Google accounts ($228/year). Contact ts@dornsife.usc.edu if you are interested.
Approved data types
Public and internal data. If you need to work with confidential data, contact ts@dornsife.usc.edu.
Public and internal data only.
More information
ITS guideDTS guide
NA
Other approved tools
The following generative AI tools are not chatbots but are approved and available for all USC users:
-
Google NotebookLM: Tool for note-taking and research; can be used with public and internal data.
-
Microsoft Word transcription: Tool for converting an audio recording into a text transcript with each speaker individually separated.
- Zoom AI Companion: Integrated in Zoom meetings; can be used with public and internal data.
Other generative AI tools
Other generative AI tools such as Claude are not offered as enterprise-grade tools at USC. To purchase a subscription to one of these tools, you can place a cloud service request. DTS will ask you to complete a DSA questionnaire from the Office of Cybersecurity and will review the request for approval.
Guidelines for using generative AI
Exercise caution around sensitive data
Be cautious about inputting sensitive information into generative AI tools. Just as with any data you store in third-party cloud services, information you submit to AI tools may not stay private. For instance, it could be saved and later incorporated into training datasets.
Here are some examples of what to avoid, from the USC Office of Cybersecurity. All of these would be considered confidential data under the USC data classification:
- A student submitting personal financial aid information to request assistance with financial aid application documentation
- A researcher submitting a confidential data set for assistance with data analysis
- An administrator submitting confidential Personally Identifiable Information for assistance with data reporting
In the example below from an Office of Cybersecurity webinar, Lee Kim, an attorney and IANS faculty member, compares a prompt that would be considered FERPA-compliant (left) to one that would not (right):
Opt out of model training
The information you enter in your prompts or upload to AI tools can potentially be incorporated into future training data for these tools.
The following tools do not use your data for model training as long as you are signed in with your USC account:
- ChatGPT EDU
- Google Gemini, NotebookLM, and Google Workspace AI Pro
- Microsoft Copilot (free and paid versions)
If you are using other tools such as Claude, you may need to manually turn off model training:
Turn off model training in ChatGPT consumer accounts
Be on the lookout for inaccuracies
Per the USC Office of Cybersecurity, "Information received from generative AI tools can be factually incorrect, copyrighted, or confidential to another party. Therefore, you should be cautious when using this information for academic, research or administrative purposes."
As USC faculty member Jonathan May puts it, ChatGPT "takes in the current conversation, forms a probability for all of the words in its vocabulary given that conversation, and then chooses one of them as the likely next word. Then it does that again, and again, and again[…] Put another way, ChatGPT doesn’t try to write sentences that are true. But it does try to write sentences that are plausible." This statement about ChatGPT also applies to any generative AI tools.
Other considerations
These topics are beyond the scope of this guide, but you may hear them brought up in conversations around generative AI:
- Cybersecurity
- Deepfakes, phishing, and scams
- Environmental impact
- Ethical considerations
- Legal considerations
- Privacy
Side note: even if you aren't submitting your personal information in prompts to generative AI tools, be cautious about what you post on social media or share in other online spaces. A few AI-related reasons for this:
- Companies can scrape publicly available information and use it to train their AI tools
- Companies can use the data you submit directly to them to train their AI tools (currently companies like Meta and LinkedIn train with public posts and data, but there are concerns over whether non-public data submitted to such websites could eventually be used for training)
- Scammers can scrape publicly available information and use it to personalize phishing attempts to trick you (see this article from the Malwarebytes blog)
Additional resources
USC maintains a central website with news and upcoming events:
Using generative AI
Using AI responsibly
- TrojanSecure: AI Tools (USC Office of Cybersecurity)
- To access: Go to https://trojanlearn.usc.edu, and type trojansecure in the search bar in the upper right. Then, select TrojanSecure: AI Tools from the results.
- "Fakin' the Citation: prevent and detect ChatGPT-generated citations in writing assignments" (Amy Chatfield, USC Libraries workshop)
Relevant USC policies