New systemwide AI policy expected to evolve with feedback from community

The start of this academic year at CU brought with it the launch of a new administrative policy statement (APS) to provide shared expectations for the responsible use of artificial intelligence across the university.

APS 6012, titled Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), took effect Aug. 24. The policy addresses topics including academic integrity, data protection, transparency and the need to review AI-generated information for accuracy.

As the policy’s justification document explains, AI has been used in higher education for years, but expectations and guidance for its use have not always been consistent. The emergence of genAI has heightened the need for such guidance. APS 6012 is intended to provide a common foundation while allowing each CU campus to develop guidance suited to its own community and academic needs.

Scott Munson, CU system Chief Information Officer, noted an ongoing feature of the system administrative policy as it appears on the OPE website: a button linking to a form where users may submit feedback on the policy’s current iteration.

“This policy is a starting point, not the end of the conversation,” Munson said. “We will continue listening to the university community and updating the policy as technology, university practices and our understanding of AI evolve.”

That means input from the university community, which already has helped shape the policy since its initial draft first was posted in November 2025, will inform the evolution of APS 6012 on a continuing basis.

The policy got its start last year at the direction of university leadership. Dan Montez, OPE director, said several feedback submissions were made in the ensuing months, with redline changes noted in drafts.

“The draft really changed over time,” Montez said.

Munson said that while the initial draft was good, “the feedback made it much stronger. There were really thoughtful comments.”

The systemwide policy was designed to be broad enough to allow for the campuses to develop more granular, campus-specific AI policies.

As provided for in APS 6012, President Todd Saliman is expected to soon establish a systemwide AI group, set to meet regularly, following the prior establishments of four campus AI groups and a system administration group. Campus chancellors have submitted names to the president for consideration for the systemwide group, as have the systemwide governance groups.

“We know there is more work to do,” Munson said. “Continued participation from faculty, staff, and the broader CU community will be essential as we evolve the policy and develop practical guidance.”

The policy was part of the conversation at a meeting of the Faculty Council earlier this month. Faculty Council Chair Diana White added a special meeting, focused strictly on AI, to the governance group’s calendar.

Munson, who also attended the Sept. 3 meeting, thanked the council and its Educational Policy and University Standards (EPUS) Committee for its feedback. White thanked committee Chair Ravinder Singh and the committee members for tireless work over the summer.

Faculty Council also has established an AI Committee, chaired by Joanne Addison and co-chaired by Jed Brown. While not focused on campus policy, Addison said the group plans to issue a series of guidance documents on how to operationalize AI tools.

“We still have challenges,” White said at the conclusion of the meeting. “But it feels like we are more structured than we were a year ago.”