Guiding Principles

These guidelines apply to all University of North Carolina Asheville Users.

User(s) Any individual granted access to university computing resources, including faculty, staff, students, contractors, non-agency personnel, volunteers, vendors, interns, alumni, emeriti, and guests.

Artificial intelligence is a tool designed to augment human knowledge, creativity, and decision-making—not replace human judgment, critical thinking, or personal responsibility. Faculty, staff, and students remain accountable for the decisions they make, the work they produce, and the information they share, regardless of whether AI assisted in the process. AI-generated content should be reviewed and validated before being relied upon or shared.

UNC Asheville encourages the thoughtful exploration of AI technologies to improve teaching, learning, research, administrative processes, and the overall student experience. Responsible innovation requires thoughtful experimentation. Members of our community are encouraged to explore new ideas while remaining mindful of ethical, legal, and institutional responsibilities.

AI should enhance learning—not replace the development of knowledge, skills, or original thought. The use of AI must support—not undermine—the University’s commitment to honesty, originality, and intellectual integrity. Faculty should clearly communicate expectations regarding AI use in coursework. Students are responsible for complying with those expectations and for ensuring that submitted work accurately reflects their own learning and understanding. Similarly, faculty and staff are responsible for ensuring that AI-assisted work meets professional and scholarly standards appropriate to their roles.

Meaningful use of AI should be transparent whenever appropriate. Faculty, staff, and students should disclose AI assistance when required by course expectations, research standards, publication guidelines, or institutional procedures. Transparency strengthens trust, promotes accountability, and supports informed decision-making.

Protecting institutional and personal information is fundamental to responsible AI use. Information entered into AI systems must be handled in accordance with the University’s Data Classification Guidelines. Publicly available AI services should not be used to process confidential, restricted, or otherwise sensitive information without explicit authorization.

Security AI technologies create new opportunities and new cybersecurity risks. Faculty, staff, and students should use institutionally approved AI services whenever practical and should consult Information Technology Services before implementing AI solutions that process institutional information, integrate with University systems, or support business operations.

AI should improve accessibility and support equitable participation while remaining consistent with the University’s accessibility commitments. AI should be used in ways that reduce barriers, improve accessibility, and promote inclusive participation across our diverse campus community. Users should remain aware that AI systems may reflect societal biases and should take reasonable steps to identify and mitigate unintended impacts.

Researchers should use AI in accordance with sponsor requirements, applicable laws and regulations, research ethics, publication standards, and University policies. Where appropriate, the use of AI should be disclosed in scholarly work consistent with disciplinary expectations.