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Faculty, students, and staff are already bringing AI tools purchased on consumer licenses to campus. These licenses have terms that create substantial risks to privacy, security, loss of intellectual property, and security. 

By providing university-supported AI tools, Cornell has been able to negotiate institutional pricing, privacy and security safeguards, and contractual protections that are not available through individual consumer subscriptions. Institution-wide access also helps promote equitable participation by ensuring that advanced AI capabilities are available to the broader Cornell community, rather than only to those who can afford individual subscriptions. It also helps ensure that all faculty, staff, and students, regardless of role, discipline, or technical background, have the opportunity to explore how these technologies can enhance their teaching, learning, research, and work, while engaging with AI in ways that are secure, responsible, and aligned with university values. Through individual experimentation, community-wide training opportunities, and novel application and iteration, our campus community can gain deeper understanding of how to mitigate AI risks and how to take advantage of new opportunities.

Access to Cornell-supported AI tools is being introduced through a phased rollout. Eligible faculty, staff, and students will be invited to participate as tools become available to their user group. If you would like to receive updates about upcoming AI tool availability, rollout announcements, and training opportunities, sign up here.  

Once your group is eligible: 

Step 1: Request access.

Submit a request for the AI tool(s) you would like to use. Requests will be reviewed based on the tool, your role, and the current phase of the rollout. 

Step 2: Complete training and orientation.

Before receiving access, you must complete an online, self-paced onboarding program. This should take approximately 45 minutes and is designed to help you understand tool capabilities, privacy and security considerations, responsible AI use, and university guidelines. 

Step 3: Activate your account. 

Once you have completed the training and orientation, you will receive an email with instructions for activating your account, downloading any necessary applications, and getting started. 

Cornell is offering eligible faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to opt in to university-supported AI tools, with access being rolled out in phases based on tool availability and user groups. For the Ithaca-supported campuses and Cornell Tech, access begins in November for faculty, staff, and Ph.D. students, with master’s students and undergraduates to follow in early 2027.  

Eligible faculty, students, and staff can request a base level of use for all tools at no cost, and faculty, staff, and teams will have the option to purchase additional capacity at a discounted rate. Free access to a limited number of licenses for Google’s agentic AI tools for research use will follow in spring. 

Because Weill Cornell Medicine operates in a distinct clinical, research, regulatory, privacy, and security environment, it will establish its own phased implementation plans, eligibility criteria, permitted uses, training requirements, and safeguards. Details are being finalized and will be communicated separately. Until then, members of the Weill Cornell Medicine community should continue to follow existing institutional policies and approved-tool guidance.

During the pilot, the university will gather feedback, assess how different tools are being used across teaching, learning, research, and operations, and identify opportunities to enhance the user experience, expand support and training resources, and inform future access decisions. Insights and feedback from participants will help shape decisions about training, support, governance, and future investments in AI capabilities. 

Cornell has negotiated institutional agreements with leading AI providers to make advanced AI tools available to the university community at a significantly lower cost than individual subscriptions and with additional privacy, security, and contractual protections. 

Providing institution-wide access helps ensure that the benefits of AI are not limited to those who can afford individual subscriptions. It also allows Cornell to secure privacy protections, security safeguards, and contractual terms that are generally not available through consumer AI offerings. 

Cornell's current AI tool pilots are designed to support learning, experimentation, and feedback across the university. During this period, Cornell will assess community needs, usage patterns, and the value of different tools to help inform future investments, access models, and support resources. 

Costs, eligibility, and available tools vary by platform and user group. For the latest information about tool availability, eligibility, and any applicable costs, refer to the Tools page. 

AI has the potential to make important contributions to sustainability research and practice, including efforts related to climate change, food security, agriculture, energy systems, and resource management. At the same time, AI technologies can require significant computing power, which increases energy consumption and raises important questions about environmental sustainability. 

Cornell recognizes both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI. As the university expands access to AI tools, it is also encouraging thoughtful consideration of their environmental impacts alongside their benefits for teaching, learning, research, and operations. 

The university's Sustainable Computing Workgroup, which includes faculty, staff, and students, is examining the sustainability implications of computing technologies, including AI. The group will help track AI's impact on energy use, identify emerging challenges and opportunities, and provide recommendations to support responsible and sustainable adoption. 

Learn more at the Cornell AI Initiative sustainability page.

Your chats, prompts, files, and generated content are not routinely monitored or reviewed by Cornell. Unauthorized access to user content is not permitted. 

Like most IT tools, a handful of IT administrators can see most data depending on the tool and its capabilities and limitations. Policies 4.12 (Data Stewardship and Custodianship) and 5.9 (Access to Information Technology Data and Monitoring Network Transmissions) specify the narrow circumstances that this data can be disclosed.

Note that Cornell licensed versions of tools offer protections that consumer (click-through-agreement) versions don’t; the AI vendor can access and use prompts and data according to their terms and conditions which include using the data for training purposes. Under consumer licenses, software vendors can provide data to law enforcement without giving Cornell the ability to question the legitimacy of the request.

Cornell encourages community members to raise questions or concerns about the use of AI.  

For general questions, feedback, or concerns related to university AI initiatives, you can contact the Cornell AI Initiative at ai-initiative@cornell.edu. 

If your concern involves potential violations of university policy or law, including issues related to privacy, security, discrimination, academic integrity, misuse of data, research compliance, or other ethical concerns, you are encouraged to speak with your supervisor, department leadership, or Human Resources representative when appropriate.   

Concerns may also be reported through Cornell's compliance and ethics reporting resources, including the Cornell Ethics and Compliance Hotline which allows individuals to report ethics, integrity, or compliance concerns confidentially or anonymously. 

If you accidentally enter sensitive, confidential, regulated, or otherwise restricted information into an AI tool, delete the conversation or content immediately, if the platform allows it.

You should then report the incident to the IT Security Office by sending an email to itsecurity@cornell.edu, just as you would report any other potential data exposure or information security incident. Prompt reporting helps the university assess any potential risks, determine whether additional actions are needed, and provide appropriate guidance.

If you are uncertain whether the information was sensitive or whether the incident needs to be reported, err on the side of caution and contact the IT Security Office for assistance.

Remember that reporting an accidental disclosure promptly is an important part of protecting university data and supporting responsible AI use.

Use of Cornell-supported AI tools is generally optional, and community members may decide whether and how AI is appropriate for their teaching, learning, research, or work. Students should talk to their instructor about whether classroom use of AI is expected.

Cornell's current AI tool pilots are designed to support learning, experimentation, and evaluation across the university. During this period, faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to explore AI tools where they may be helpful, while also sharing feedback about when AI adds value, when it does not, and where limitations or concerns exist.

Cornell recognizes that AI is not the right solution for every task, discipline, workflow, or learning objective. Decisions about whether and how to use AI should be guided by professional judgment, disciplinary norms, applicable policies, and individual needs.

Students should follow guidance provided by their instructors and any course-specific policies outlined in the syllabus. Staff should consult with their supervisors and unit leadership regarding appropriate use within their roles and responsibilities. Faculty should consider disciplinary norms, applicable university policies, and any relevant research, teaching, or professional requirements.

Feedback from the community, including both successful use cases and situations where AI is not useful or appropriate, will help inform future decisions about AI tools, training, guidance, and investments.