Before using any generative AI tool, please note the following best practices:

• Be informed regarding the terms of service of the tool you're using. Material that you submit may become part of the program’s database—using the software also contributes to its development. The systems have different policies and methods to let you remove your material, so be sure to look for those instructions and to review the Terms of Service.
  • What rights does the tool owner have to your content (input or output)?
  • What is the privacy policy? Can anyone see what you've entered or generated?
• Be mindful about the prompts you are feeding into your bot. AI tools raise issues of privacy and intellectual property. We advise caution with the following:
  • Your own intellectual property (i.e., work you have created and for which you want to protect the copyright), unless you want it to be used to train an LLM, or you are able to disable the settings so that it does not use your work for training.
  • Student work, as this may be a violation of their intellectual property.
  • Personal or protected information, such as PII (personally Identifiable Information) or FERPA-protected data (e.g., names, addresses, birthdates, phone numbers).
  • Copyrighted works of others may be a risk, as the law is unsettled and what constitutes fair use is not clear.
• Even software platforms that don’t use your content to train the product may collect your information or install cookies to track your other activity. While you may choose to make this bargain to try out AI tools yourself, it can be more problematic to require students to sign up for tools that will track and use their private data.
• Be aware that generative AI can make mistakes or provide inaccurate information, called hallucinations. Critically evaluate the output you're given, and check facts against another source when appropriate. Although a generative AI tool might cite sources, these citations are not always accurate. 
• Adhere to relevant generative AI policies for the work you're doing. For students, this means understanding your course AI policy and only using generative AI for academic work when it is allowed by your instructor. If you are unsure of the course policy, please clarify with your instructor before proceeding. For faculty and staff, this includes complying with any guidelines or policies from academic publications or professional associations.

Tools Available for the Barnard Community

The below tools are available through our existing partnerships with Google and Adobe. 

Please note that many other academic technology tools at Barnard - such as Padlet and Yellowdig - now incorporate Generative AI features.

ChatGPT Teams Pilot Program

ATLIS has a pilot program for faculty and instructional staff who are interested in access to a ChatGPT Team account. A ChatGPT Team account has the same features as a ChatGPT Pro account - including access to image generation, custom GPT creation, advanced data analysis tools, and advanced voice capabilities - with additional privacy protections for your data. By default, your data will not be shared with OpenAI or used to train future versions of ChatGPT. Because we only have a limited number of accounts available, eligibility is limited: If you would like to participate, please send an email to atlis@barnard.edu and we'll let you know the next steps. ​​​​

Beyond What's Available at Barnard: Other Generative AI Tools

There's an ever-growing array of both free and paid generative AI tools, from all-purpose chatbots to tools specifically designed to aid with teaching and learning. While our team is familiar with some of these, we unfortunately cannot offer support for every generative AI tool. If you choose to use something that isn't formally supported by Barnard, please be extra careful when thinking through data and privacy protections. If there is a specific tool you're interested in using for a course or research project, please reach out to us at atlis@barnard.edu or request a consultation.

For faculty looking for additional support or guidance, we are happy to offer consultations on the use of generative AI in teaching, learning and research. This can range from guidance on demoing generative AI in your classroom to full-scale application development. Please email atlis@barnard.edu to set up a meeting, or use our consultation request form.

We will also be continuing our Generative AI Studios and Generative AI Learning Community programs in Fall 2025. Studios provide an environment for faculty, staff, and students to try generative AI tools in the presence of ATLIS and CEP staff. For information about these offerings as well as generative AI workshops, please see our Studios and Programming page. Beyond our open programming, we can create workshops for specific departments or courses; please reach out to atlis@barnard.edu if this is something you are interested in.