[{"id":74,"date":"2026-04-24T19:14:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=74"},"modified":"2026-04-24T19:14:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:14:41","slug":"gemini-gems-one-of-the-more-practical-ai-features-in-vcus-licensed-gemini-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2026\/04\/24\/gemini-gems-one-of-the-more-practical-ai-features-in-vcus-licensed-gemini-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Gemini Gems &#8211; One of the More Practical AI Features in VCU\u2019s Licensed Gemini Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Gemini Gems are customized versions of Gemini that can be tailored for a specific role, task, or workflow. Gems are useful because they move AI beyond one-off experimentation and into repeatable practice. In VCU\u2019s licensed Gemini environment, which is <a href=\"https:\/\/knowledgebase.vcu.edu\/portal\/app\/portlets\/results\/viewsolution.jsp?solutionid=250212170318460&amp;sl=&amp;linw=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a data Category 2 tool<\/a>, Gems offer a practical way to save time, improve consistency, and support recurring work across teaching, research, and operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>VCU users can access Gemini by signing in at Gemini with their VCU eID or via the app menu in their VCU Google Workspace. Within this university-supported environment, user data is protected and not used for model training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once inside Gemini, Gems can be found through the \u201cExplore Gems\u201d area of the web app. Users select \u201cNew Gem,\u201d give it a name, and write instructions that define what the Gem should do. The strongest Gems are specific rather than broad.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video below features Gem creator Lisa Huang and gets into the weeds of developing powerful Gems.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gemini Gems Masterclass with the Creator at Google: 3 Gems You Must Build\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HnIbYsXdJ1Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">General Use Cases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gems for Teaching<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of creating a generic \u201cteaching assistant,\u201d a faculty member might build a Gem focused on revising assignment prompts for a single course. Users can test the Gem, revise the instructions, and save it for future use. A well-designed teaching Gem can stay grounded in course goals and save instructors from rewriting the same prompts over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gems for Research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For research, a Gem can help with repeated support tasks such as generating keyword lists, organizing notes, summarizing literature, or turning project meetings into action items. This can help research teams work more efficiently while keeping outputs consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gems for Organizational Tasks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For organizational work, Gems can serve as lightweight process assistants. Departments and offices can use them to draft agendas, summarize meetings, create consistent communications, or organize recurring workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sharing Gems with VCU Colleagues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sharing a Gem with colleagues can also make Gems especially valuable for team-based work. A Share option lets you invite others as viewers or editors, just as you do with a Google Doc. Anyone with access can view the Gem\u2019s instructions and uploaded files, and anyone with editor access can modify or delete the Gem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gemini Gems are customized versions of Gemini that can be tailored for a specific role, task, or workflow. Gems are useful because they move AI beyond one-off experimentation and into repeatable practice. In VCU\u2019s licensed Gemini environment, which is a data Category 2 tool, Gems offer a practical way to save time, improve consistency, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-google-gemini-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":71,"date":"2026-04-16T19:11:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=71"},"modified":"2026-04-16T19:11:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:11:36","slug":"vcu-technology-services-and-center-for-teaching-and-learning-excellence-launch-ai-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2026\/04\/16\/vcu-technology-services-and-center-for-teaching-and-learning-excellence-launch-ai-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU Technology Services and Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence Launch AI Survey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>VCU\u2019s Technology Services and Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence are conducting <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSd4nQJ64T2q2zxEGM1xxEA_Y0tXM2w_eW9sJxHSAiBxR0VGKg\/viewform?usp=header\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSd4nQJ64T2q2zxEGM1xxEA_Y0tXM2w_eW9sJxHSAiBxR0VGKg\/viewform?usp=header\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a survey<\/a> to better understand sentiments and skills surrounding the use of Generative AI tools. This survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and is open to all VCU faculty, staff and students that are 18 years of age or older. The results will be used to inform training and tool adoption. Results will be shared in aggregate. Please contact emergingtech@vcu.edu with any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VCU\u2019s Technology Services and Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence are conducting a survey to better understand sentiments and skills surrounding the use of Generative AI tools. This survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and is open to all VCU faculty, staff and students that are 18 years of age or older. The results [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10,12,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-emerging-tech-policy","category-ai-and-research","category-ai-and-workforce-impacts","category-ai-resources"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":62,"date":"2026-02-04T16:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=62"},"modified":"2026-02-04T16:58:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:58:34","slug":"anthropics-claude-cowork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2026\/02\/04\/anthropics-claude-cowork\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthropic&#8217;s Claude Cowork"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Anthropic recently released <a href=\"https:\/\/claude.com\/product\/cowork\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/claude.com\/product\/cowork\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Claude Cowork<\/a>, an agent platform designed to move beyond traditional chatbots into workplace automation, functioning more like an autonomous coworker that can plan, execute, and complete multi-step tasks. Cowork allows users to leverage AI more as a proactive collaborator rather than a passive assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users designate a local folder or workspace that Claude can access, read, create, and modify files within. Tasks range from sorting and organizing documents to drafting reports and generating spreadsheets from data sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cowork expands on Anthropic\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/code.claude.com\/docs\/en\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Claude Code<\/a>, but brings agentic capabilities to non-technical teams across operations. Enterprise users can also enhance Cowork capabilities with plugins tailored for legal workflows, marketing, customer support, and data analysis, further automating specialized tasks like sales and marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The brief demo below shows some of Cowork&#8217;s more basic capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Organize your desktop files with Cowork\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WBNZpAWhw5E?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implications for the Workforce&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The key consideration here is automation. By providing automation that requires no coding expertise, Cowork opens up opportunities previously limited to technical teams. Chat assistants have been able to perform contract analysis and similar tasks for a while now, but with those tasks being automated, some labor experts think it could displace work typically performed by paralegals, analysts, and junior consultants. Workers in these areas, as well as data management and technical operations, could be impacted and require reskilling.&nbsp;Shortly after Cowork\u2019s announcement, shares of several software and info-services companies, such as Salesforce, Workday, and ServiceNow, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/ai-concerns-pummel-european-software-stocks-2026-02-03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">took a hit.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anthropic recently released Claude Cowork, an agent platform designed to move beyond traditional chatbots into workplace automation, functioning more like an autonomous coworker that can plan, execute, and complete multi-step tasks. Cowork allows users to leverage AI more as a proactive collaborator rather than a passive assistant. Users designate a local folder or workspace that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-and-workforce-impacts","category-new-tools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":59,"date":"2026-01-14T16:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=59"},"modified":"2026-01-14T16:27:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:27:02","slug":"openai-and-anthropic-move-into-healthcare-and-life-sciences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2026\/01\/14\/openai-and-anthropic-move-into-healthcare-and-life-sciences\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200b\u200bOpenAI and Anthropic Move into Healthcare and Life Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>OpenAI and Anthropic are officially entering the healthcare and life sciences sectors. While distinct in scope and audience, both initiatives reflect a broader industry trend toward domain-specific AI systems designed with heightened attention to privacy, compliance, and real-world workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>OpenAI Introduces ChatGPT Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 7, <a href=\"https:\/\/openai.com\/index\/introducing-chatgpt-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health<\/a>, a dedicated experience within ChatGPT designed to help users interact with health and wellness information. Unlike general-purpose chat tools, ChatGPT Health allows users to connect to health data, including medical records, lab results, and wellness apps, allowing responses to be contextualized using the user\u2019s own information rather than relying on generalized assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to OpenAI, users can review lab results, prepare questions for healthcare visits, identify patterns across data, and understand insurance or lifestyle considerations. However, OpenAI says that the tool is not a diagnostic system, does not provide medical treatment recommendations, and is not intended to replace licensed healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Health-related conversations are stored separately from standard ChatGPT interactions and are not used to train underlying AI models. The feature was developed with input from clinicians across multiple specialties. Initial access is being provided through a phased rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Anthropic Expands Healthcare and Life Sciences Capabilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 11, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/healthcare-life-sciences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anthropic announced Claude for Healthcare<\/a>, along with expanded functionality designed for life sciences research. Anthropic\u2019s approach is oriented more toward institutional and enterprise use cases, including health systems, insurers, researchers, and operational teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claude for Healthcare is designed as a HIPAA-ready AI system capable of integrating with established healthcare data standards and administrative workflows. Potential applications include assisting with documentation, summarization of clinical or policy information, and supporting operational processes such as coding and reporting. Anthropic even promises connections to authoritative medical and regulatory data sources to help ground responses in established frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to healthcare operations, Anthropic is expanding Claude\u2019s role in life sciences research, providing tools to support clinical trial analysis, regulatory documentation, and the synthesis of scientific literature. These features are aimed at research-intensive environments where large volumes of structured and unstructured data are common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As AI systems become more embedded in sensitive domains like healthcare, questions around governance, evaluation, and responsible adoption will become more and more important. For higher education institutions, these developments underscore the importance of maintaining a continued awareness of AI capabilities, policies, and use cases, particularly where research, instruction, and clinical practice intersect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OpenAI and Anthropic are officially entering the healthcare and life sciences sectors. While distinct in scope and audience, both initiatives reflect a broader industry trend toward domain-specific AI systems designed with heightened attention to privacy, compliance, and real-world workflows. OpenAI Introduces ChatGPT Health On January 7, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health, a dedicated experience within ChatGPT [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-and-healthcare","category-ai-and-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":52,"date":"2026-01-09T21:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T21:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=52"},"modified":"2026-01-09T21:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T21:20:14","slug":"vcu-tech-services-provides-60-day-gemini-pro-for-education-pilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2026\/01\/09\/vcu-tech-services-provides-60-day-gemini-pro-for-education-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU Tech Services Provides 60-Day Gemini Pro for Education Pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>During the Fall 2025 semester, 50 members of the VCU community\u2014including faculty, staff, researchers, and students\u2014embarked on a 60-day pilot program to test the capabilities of Gemini Pro for Education. This initiative examined how Gemini Pro could be integrated into the university&#8217;s daily academic and administrative workflows within its Google Workspace environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pilot participants utilized Gemini Pro in various areas and contexts, including Development and Alumni Relations, School of Business, and Information Systems. The versatility of the tool was highlighted through several key applications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Academic Support and Research:<\/strong> One participant noted that the tool helped compile overlapping subject matter and provided cross-references from reputable sources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Teaching and Instruction:<\/strong> Faculty members leveraged the technology to enhance student learning. One participant created a Gemini &#8220;Gem,&#8221; a customized Gemini-powered assistant, to help faculty generate realistic legal case scenarios for teaching analysis skills. Similarly, a participant serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant used the tool to draft rubric-aligned feedback for student submissions to improve turnaround time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Administrative Efficiency:<\/strong> Staff participants focused on streamlining operations. Use cases included automating assessment compliance reports, creating formalized meeting agendas, and summarizing long email threads. Another participant utilized Gemini to revise wordy slide decks in Google Slides into high-level synopses, saving significant time on revisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our final feedback survey provides further insight on pilot participant experiences. The chart below identifies common applications of the tool among participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-4.16.42-PM-1024x321.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-58\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-4.16.42-PM-1024x321.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-4.16.42-PM-300x94.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-4.16.42-PM-768x241.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-09-at-4.16.42-PM.png 1308w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Productivity and Time Savings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive regarding efficiency. Several users reported saving one hour or more per day by using Gemini Pro for tasks like writing emails, creating content, and finding information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-2-1024x431.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-2-1024x431.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-2-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-2-768x323.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-2-1536x646.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-2-2048x862.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One participant noted that Gemini Pro helped overcome the &#8220;blank page hurdle,&#8221; providing a jumping-off point for documents. Another participant highlighted that NotebookLM alone saved them at least 10 hours over a 30-day period, allowing them to focus on projects that had been previously sidelined by a heavy workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-4-1024x431.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-57\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-4-1024x431.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-4-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-4-768x323.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-4-1536x646.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1489\/2026\/01\/image-4-2048x862.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While the pilot demonstrated great potential, participants identified several areas for improvement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Slide Generation:<\/strong> A common frustration was that Gemini often generated slides with infographics as images rather than editable text and graphics, making revisions and data visualization frustrating.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data Accuracy and &#8220;Hallucinations&#8221;:<\/strong> In a guided learning mode for students, a faculty participant noted that because Gemini did not always have direct access to specific datasets, it would occasionally provide incorrect solutions or &#8220;hallucinate&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tool-Specific Limitations:<\/strong> Users found the Gemini in Google Sheets less helpful than other features, noting it struggled to access data across multiple sheets or handle complex technical analytics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sensitive Data and Security:<\/strong> Some participants expressed concern about security, wishing for the ability to process <a href=\"https:\/\/infosec.ts.vcu.edu\/resources\/data-management--handling\/#:~:text=VCU%20data%20classification%20levels%20include,Category%20III%20(Public)%20information.\">CAT 1 data <\/a>safely. <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/docs\/answer\/16204578?hl=en\">Prompt injection<\/a> was also cited as a major concern.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ethical Considerations:<\/strong> Participants wrestled with the question of when it\u2019s appropriate to use the tool and when it\u2019s not, expressing concerns about the temptation to automate everything and what is lost if we overrely on generative AI tools.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Next Steps<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our pilot of Gemini Pro for Education provided an excellent opportunity for VCU members to experiment with one of the more powerful generative AI tools available. Technology Services is currently exploring options for providing access to the tool. Stay tuned for more news soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the Fall 2025 semester, 50 members of the VCU community\u2014including faculty, staff, researchers, and students\u2014embarked on a 60-day pilot program to test the capabilities of Gemini Pro for Education. This initiative examined how Gemini Pro could be integrated into the university&#8217;s daily academic and administrative workflows within its Google Workspace environment. The pilot participants [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-resources","category-ai-technology-pilot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39,"date":"2025-11-25T16:46:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=39"},"modified":"2025-11-25T16:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:47:09","slug":"the-ai-incident-database","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2025\/11\/25\/the-ai-incident-database\/","title":{"rendered":"The AI Incident Database"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/incidentdatabase.ai\/apps\/incidents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI Incident Database<\/a> is an open source repository of real-world incidents where AI systems caused\u2014or nearly caused\u2014harm. A project of the Responsible AI Collaborative, the database is a useful resource cataloging more than 1200 incidents, including deepfake investment and phishing scams, data leaks, and autopilot car collisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>A number of features built into the site can help researchers and AI adopters utilize and even submit to the data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A \u201cDiscover\u201d interface where users can browse incidents in list, table or spatial visualization. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A \u201cSubmit Incident Reports\u201d function inviting crowdsourced contributions from developers, researchers and the public.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taxonomies and classification tools to sort incidents by type, severity, domain and other dimensions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Downloadable data and research-friendly formats.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As AI enters more and more dimensions of work and life, the database helps raise awareness of the sort of risks stakeholders should consider as they explore AI integrations. &#8220;Like similar databases in aviation and computer security, the AI Incident Database aims to learn from experience so we can prevent or mitigate bad outcomes,&#8221; the collaborative explains. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The AI Incident Database is an open source repository of real-world incidents where AI systems caused\u2014or nearly caused\u2014harm. A project of the Responsible AI Collaborative, the database is a useful resource cataloging more than 1200 incidents, including deepfake investment and phishing scams, data leaks, and autopilot car collisions. A number of features built into the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-resources","category-ai-risks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":35,"date":"2025-11-18T17:04:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T17:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=35"},"modified":"2025-11-25T16:49:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:49:38","slug":"vcu-approves-new-ai-policy-acceptable-use-of-generative-ai-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2025\/11\/18\/vcu-approves-new-ai-policy-acceptable-use-of-generative-ai-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU Approves New AI Policy: &#8220;Acceptable Use of Generative AI Technology&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>VCU&#8217;s new AI policy <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DE25FC31398F5D486E7414FA311446\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DE25FC31398F5D486E7414FA311446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Acceptable Use of Generative AI Technology&#8221;<\/a> was officially approved on November 12 and outlines the general requirements for the adoption and use of GenAI tools by VCU employees and affiliates. The policy aims to ensure that VCU uses GenAI tools ethically, securely, and in alignment with the institution&#8217;s mission to promote real-world learning, innovative research, and community engagement. Technology Services encourages all members of the VCU community to review the policy carefully and consider its impacts on your use of GenAI tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The policy requirements and relevant resources are summarized below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core Principles<\/strong>: VCU&#8217;s use of GenAI tools must align with our institution&#8217;s core values and regulatory frameworks, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/infosec.ts.vcu.edu\/resources\/information-technology-policies-standards-baselines-and-guidelines\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/infosec.ts.vcu.edu\/resources\/information-technology-policies-standards-baselines-and-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IT Policy Framework<\/a>. VCU will identify the GenAI tools it provides, how user data is handled, and who is responsible for the proper use and outcomes of those tools. The <a href=\"https:\/\/cio.ts.vcu.edu\/ai\/ai-tools-and-technologies\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cio.ts.vcu.edu\/ai\/ai-tools-and-technologies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CIO&#8217;s AI Tools and Technologies page<\/a> provides this information currently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AI Infrastructure and Tool Adoptions<\/strong>: Only GenAI tools that have been approved by <a href=\"https:\/\/itgovernance.vcu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IT Governance<\/a> may be used with sensitive and non-public data (Category II) or confidential or regulated data (Category I). Entering any Category I or Category II data into publicly available AI tools is prohibited. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/itgovernance.vcu.edu\/security\/data-classification\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/itgovernance.vcu.edu\/security\/data-classification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Data Classification Tool<\/a> is a great way to identify VCU data categories. Additionally, any VCU technology that allows users to interact directly with a GenAI tool must include a clear notice identifying it as such. For example, approved chatbots must include a disclaimer identifying it as an AI technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Data Management<\/strong>: Before adopting any GenAI tool, VCU units are expected to understand the classification of data that will be used and follow any appropriate IT Governance processes. When possible, minimize the data sent to a GenAI tool and de-identify data unless the tool is approved by IT Governance for such data. Users must also ensure that all Category I and Category II data sent to GenAI tools are encrypted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Acceptable and Ethical Use<\/strong>: Employees and affiliates are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and appropriateness of any AI-generated content. They must also ensure inputs do not violate intellectual property rights, contract terms, or any applicable federal and state regulations, including FERPA and HIPAA, among others. GenAI tools must not be used with the intent to do harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Training and Education<\/strong>: Technology Services will develop and maintain training on the responsible use of GenAI tools, including required trainings that VCU employees and affiliates must complete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to read <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DE25FC31398F5D486E7414FA311446\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DE25FC31398F5D486E7414FA311446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the entire policy<\/a> and be on the lookout for more resources to help you understand and adhere to the policy requirements. This blog and <a href=\"https:\/\/cio.ts.vcu.edu\/ai\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cio.ts.vcu.edu\/ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the CIO website on AI<\/a> will be updated as further guidance is developed and made available. Also, don&#8217;t hesitate to contact emergingtech@vcu.edu with any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VCU&#8217;s new AI policy &#8220;Acceptable Use of Generative AI Technology&#8221; was officially approved on November 12 and outlines the general requirements for the adoption and use of GenAI tools by VCU employees and affiliates. The policy aims to ensure that VCU uses GenAI tools ethically, securely, and in alignment with the institution&#8217;s mission to promote [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[4,5],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-emerging-tech-policy","category-uncategorized","tag-ai","tag-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":28,"date":"2025-09-18T19:40:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=28"},"modified":"2025-09-18T19:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:40:02","slug":"schev-releases-guide-to-ai-in-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2025\/09\/18\/schev-releases-guide-to-ai-in-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"SCHEV Releases Guide to AI in Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schev.edu\/home\/showpublisheddocument\/4568\/638932559299654625\">new guide<\/a> for higher education institutions to consider as they integrate Artificial Intelligence into their operations and curriculum. \u201cReference Guide for AI Integration in Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia,\u201d written by George Mason University\u2019s Dr. Amarda Shehu and Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer, provides a vision for AI in Virginia higher education institutions and lays out a roadmap for policy development and adoption of AI technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Released in support of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schev.edu\/home\/showpublisheddocument\/3689\/638466112624070000\">Executive Order 30 (2024)<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/schev.us10.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=55f4359bee48cfdbad89cc6a1&amp;id=dad65ca1ee&amp;e=a897cf48cb\">Guidelines for AI Integration throughout Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia<\/a>, the guide identifies six crucial action areas for responsible AI adoption:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Policy Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Curriculum and Pedagogy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Professional Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Opportunity and Access<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5. Industry and Inter-Institutional Collaboration<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>6. Responsible AI Integration in High-Stakes Educational Environments<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schev.edu\/home\/showpublisheddocument\/4568\/638932559299654625\">The guide<\/a> is the result of the panel discussions and major takeaways from the AI in Education Summit for Virginia held earlier this year at George Mason University. SCHEV states that this new guide does not represent their stance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) published a new guide for higher education institutions to consider as they integrate Artificial Intelligence into their operations and curriculum. \u201cReference Guide for AI Integration in Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia,\u201d written by George Mason University\u2019s Dr. Amarda Shehu and Dr. Padhu Seshaiyer, provides a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-emerging-tech-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1,"date":"2025-08-29T17:15:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/?p=1"},"modified":"2025-09-08T15:42:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T15:42:18","slug":"ai-policy-commenting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/2025\/08\/29\/ai-policy-commenting\/","title":{"rendered":"10-Day Comment Period for Technology Services\u2019 Gen AI Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Between September 5 and 18, VCU Technology Services\u2019 policy \u201cAcceptable Use of Generative AI Technology\u201d will be available for <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DDEA28AF8F37486F69D6314D16E8EE\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DDEA28AF8F37486F69D6314D16E8EE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commentary and feedback<\/a> as part of the Integrity and Compliance Office\u2019s policy development process.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cAcceptable Use of Generative AI Technology\u201d aims to make VCU a safe and productive environment for VCU employees to adopt and utilize generative AI tools. The policy provides guardrails for data security and identifies the avenue through which VCU employees can submit generative AI tools for approval through our <a href=\"https:\/\/itgovernance.vcu.edu\/submit-for-review\/\">IT Governance review process<\/a>, while also establishing ethical and core principles for usage that align with VCU\u2019s mission and values.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The policy is the result of months of collaboration both within Technology Services and with its many partners across campus. Initial drafting was led by Technology Services Leadership. Further input has been gathered from the Technology Advisory Committee, and numerous researchers and faculty members across VCU. After the 10-day comment period concludes, Technology Services will make revisions as needed and present the most current draft to the University Council Academic Affairs and Policy Committee.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Between September 5 and 18, VCU Technology Services\u2019 policy \u201cAcceptable Use of Generative AI Technology\u201d will be available for commentary and feedback as part of the Integrity and Compliance Office\u2019s policy development process.\u00a0 &nbsp;\u201cAcceptable Use of Generative AI Technology\u201d aims to make VCU a safe and productive environment for VCU employees to adopt and utilize [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-emerging-tech-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]