Several universities have begun rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) access to all their staff and students, but critics warn that the “blanket” approach may encourage inappropriate use of the new technology.
Earlier this year the University of Manchester became the first in the world to promise to give its 65,000 students and staff members access to Microsoft’s M365 Copilot after agreeing a deal with the tech giant.
Paul Gregory, Copilot programme director at the university, told Times Higher Education that all staff now have access, with students to follow in the new academic year once “engagement and discovery work” has been compledted. Access to the technology has been accompanied by the creation of a Copilot student advisory group to begin “co-creating communications resources and engagement approaches” for its use.
Approximately 50 “listening sessions” have also been held across the year to understand how its people are interacting with the tool.
Some of the recurrent anxieties around AI – including the environmental impact of the data centres used to process and power the technology – appear to have cropped up as part of those discussions. Gregory said “the most common themes raised have been responsible use, data security, the implications for teaching and learning, and environmental sustainability”.
