A number of University policies and associated documents interact with use of genAI. Staff should be familiar with the requirements of University policies, guidelines, etc., to be able to use genAI in an ethical and compliant way. These documents include, but are not limited to:
The page GenAI - Frequently Asked Questions at the University of Newcastle includes some other policy-related considerations for teaching and courses.
The University provides free access for staff and students to the premium version of Copilot; sign in using your University Microsoft account details.
Copilot can also be accessed via the icon in the Edge browser, top right, along from the URL bar.
Copilot draws from GPT-4 and is connected to the Internet so its responses have more chance of using up-to-date sources. Copilot also provides links to where it obtained information, which can aid in checking for authority and accuracy (this is important to do!). Image generation is also possible via Copilot's integration Designer (powered by DALL-E).
The University's access to Copilot provides enterprise protection for your data and does not use your prompts to train the language model or system. Your prompts and Copilot's responses are now saved for 90 days, under enterprise data protection.
It's important to check for the shield icon top-right of window to ensure that you're logged in through the University's access. If you hover your mouse over the shield it should read: "Enterprise data protection applies to this chat", as shown right.
Update 21 August 2025: Microsoft has added opt-in access to GPT-5. To enable GPT-5, users currently need to click the button shown right. The button will then display as 'GPT-5 On'.
Our Writing Prompts page has information from Microsoft on how to get the best out of Copilot.
To learn more about Copilot:
There are important considerations around uploading files to genAI tools.
As noted above for files, data security/privacy is a big concern for genAI systems. To ensure that any information you provide in an input does not become part of the AI tool's training data, you should check what is being shared, and whether you can opt out.
The JISC National Centre for AI (UK) has a great summary to help with navigating the terms and conditions of genAI tools across text, image, audio and video generation, plus others, that makes it easier to see what is being shared and whether you can opt out. It's also important to check after any updates/upgrades to the platform that you are still not sahring your information more broadly, otherwise it could become part of a later output and used by someone else.
To be safe, it's always best to limit any personal or sensitive information shared with a genAI tool, so being careful when creating personal, professional, or oral histories. Consideration should also be given to uploading interview transcripts and similar materials.
As per the University's IP Policy, students own the materials they submit for assessments or other projects (unless run by, or signed over to, the University). Student materials should not be uploaded into genAI without their prior informed consent, and must be limited to use with approved genAI systems. This includes for marking/feedback purposes, as per the Policy on the Use of Generative AI in Teaching, Learning and Assessment.
The University owns various materials that staff interact with in their daily duties, including course materials, computer works, and materials created by professional staff that do not fall under the excluded categories, as per our IP Policy. University owned materials or information should not be shared with unapproved platforms (as per the Copyright Compliance Policy), including with genAI. The University's enterprise access to Copilot has been approved for use with internal materials by DTS due to its data security, the icon for which is visible top right of screen when you are logged in.
We'd love to hear your feedback on this portal. If you think changes could be made, or more information added, please visit our feedback page.
