AI + Working
Cornell approaches AI in the workplace with the same care, curiosity, and rigor that define the university’s broader mission. Across campuses and units, teams are leveraging AI as a tool to enhance human expertise — streamlining routine tasks, strengthening decision-making, and opening new avenues for creativity and collaboration.
Cornell Supported AI Tools
Generative AI (GenAI) can accelerate learning, creativity, and research — but only when used responsibly. Cornell‑supported GenAI tools are vetted for data privacy, security, and accessibility, ensuring your work stays protected and aligned with university standards.
Using approved tools isn’t just a technical preference. These platforms safeguard sensitive information, support ethical practice, and strengthen trust across our community.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
(For web browsers)
This universitywide “private” version of ChatGPT and DALL-E enables faculty, staff, and students who are 18 years of age or older to experiment with GenAI text, image, and coding tools without storing the person’s login and chat data or using that data to train the large language models.
Copilot in Windows
Copilot in Windows
(Available on some Cornell computers)
Copilot in Windows has been integrated into the Windows 11 operating system. It can help answer questions, check the weather, or adjust Windows settings, like turning on dark mode or snapping windows side by side. It will also answer questions in the same way that Copilot Enterprise will.
Adobe Firefly
(Available with an Adobe license)
Firefly allows you to generate images from text, then manipulate and edit them. Coming soon: generative voice and video content.
Zoom AI Companion
The Zoom AI Companion gives hosts and participants shareable meeting summaries and next-steps lists, “highlight reels” in recordings, catch-up options for people joining a meeting late, and more. Currently, the university is evaluating security and privacy considerations for these new features.
Tools and Resources
Whether you’re looking to refine a prompt, explore new use cases, or talk through an idea with an expert, these resources connect you with the guidance and hands‑on support you need.
Effective Prompts
Crafting an effective prompt is not the same as searching the web. Here are some tools to improve your prompting skills.
AI Innovation Lab
A collaborative environment for staff (alongside students and faculty) to experiment with the use of GenAI on real-world projects. Offers sessions, training, and semester-long initiatives open to staff involvement.
AI Exploration Series
AI Exploration Series (via Zoom)
Join AI Assistant Program Director Ayham Boucher for the debut of a bi-weekly series for Cornell students, faculty, and staff who want to know more about all things AI. The 30-minute workshop is held over Zoom at 2 p.m. ET.
AI Events
See our events calendar.
GenAI at Cornell on Teams
Guidelines and Best Practices
Cornell’s guidelines seek to balance the exciting new possibilities offered by these tools with awareness of their limitations and the need for rigorous attention to accuracy, intellectual property, security, privacy, and ethical issues. These guidelines are upheld by existing university policies.
When exploring AI tools, it is important to make informed choices about which tools we use and whether they provide privacy and protection of an individual’s personal information and institutional data. Free AI tools that are not offered by Cornell do not provide any material protection of data and should not be used to share or process academic or administrative information.
Accountability
You are accountable for your work, regardless of the tools you use to produce it. When using GenAI tools, always verify the information, check for errors and biases, and exercise caution to avoid copyright infringement. GenAI excels at applying predictions and patterns to create new content, but since it cannot understand what it produces, the results are sometimes misleading, outdated, or false.
Confidentiality and Privacy
If you are using public GenAI tools, you cannot enter any Cornell information — or another person’s information — that is confidential, proprietary, subject to federal or state regulations, or otherwise considered sensitive or restricted. Any information you provide to public GenAI tools is considered public and may be stored and used by anyone else.
As noted in the University Privacy Statement, Cornell strives to honor the Privacy Principles: Notice, Choice, Accountability for Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity and Purpose Limitation, Access, and Recourse.
Use for Research
The widespread availability of GenAI tools offers new opportunities for creativity and efficiency and, as with any new tool, depends on humans for responsible and ethical deployment in research and society. In Fall 2023, the Cornell’s taskforce on the use of GenAI in research produced “The GenAI in Academic Research: Perspectives and Cultural Norms” report covering the various stages of the research process in which many faculty, staff, and students participate daily. The report provides guidance for thoughtful use of GenAI in research, identifying opportunities as well as risks and duties in both the development and use of these tools in academic research that aspires to have positive societal impact.
Read the Cornell Chronicle story about the report: Task force offers guidance to researchers on use of AI
Read the full committee report: Web: Generative AI in Academic Research: Perspectives and Cultural Norms; PDF: Generative AI in Academic Research: Perspectives and Cultural Norms