UNM will release campus-wide AI guidelines this fall
The University of New Mexico will launch guidelines for artificial intelligence use across campus by fall, addressing ethics and academic integrity as immediate priorities. The AI Steering Committee, chaired by Mark Emmons, dean of the College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences, formed the group to establish coordinated policies after years of unguided AI adoption on campus.
Interim Provost Barbara Rodriguez charged the committee in late February. It includes students, staff, and faculty with AI expertise from across the university.
Three policy areas
The guidelines will cover three areas: learning and teaching, research and scholarship, and operations and administration.
Because university policies typically take at least a year to develop, the committee is fast-tracking urgent guidance for the summer. The Dean of Students Office requested initial direction on academic integrity, which the committee will provide by fall.
The university also purchased a license for NebulaOne, a tool that lets users build custom AI agents using models from OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic. It enters testing now and will be available campus-wide in January.
"We want to level the playing ground so everyone has access to the same kind of tools," Emmons said. "What we have now is a lot of interesting uses of AI, but not coordinated."
Addressing concerns
The committee will solicit feedback over the summer from all groups, including those opposed to AI use on campus. Emmons acknowledged critics who object to AI on academic and environmental grounds but said students need preparation for a world where AI exists.
AI should supplement learning, not replace it, Emmons said. "If you're using it in place of your own work, then that's a big problem. It reduces the purpose of education."
Elisha Allen, director of Online Strategies & Academic Technologies, noted that faculty struggle to distinguish between student work and AI-generated content. Some syllabi now include AI statements, though the university currently recommends rather than requires them.
Data privacy matters
The UNM AI Resources webpage warns that ChatGPT collects user data that can be shared with third-party vendors and law enforcement. Data from conversations about sensitive topics cannot be removed even if an account is deleted.
Faculty assigning AI work have the option to opt out of data collection.
Emmons said responsible AI use requires grounding decisions in ethics and learning best practices. "Whether you think it's a positive thing that's here or a negative thing that it's here, it is something that's present in our lives," he said. "Because of that, I think we need to make sure that our use is grounded in ethics."
For educators and students navigating these issues, AI for Education resources can provide guidance on responsible implementation.
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