AI Guides: GenAI Tools at JCU
🤖 AI Guides @ JCU
Using AI in Teaching at JCU
JCU supports the use of AI in teaching. However, there are important limits on which tools can be used and what materials can be uploaded.
JCU clearly differentiates between:
- Prescribed tools (JCU approved and supported).
- Public / Non-JCU tools (not approved and unsupported by JCU).
The main prescribed AI tool at JCU is Microsoft Copilot. If you are considering using a non-JCU tool (for example, free or external tools such as NotebookLM), please review the guidance below.
This is a rapidly evolving space; therefore, this is the current guidance as of 20 March 2026.
Privacy and Cybersecurity
The key concern is both privacy and cybersecurity. Some tools—particularly free or externally hosted ones—may store content offshore or use uploaded material to train their models.
🚩 Do not upload teaching materials to non-JCU AI tools
✗ Student information or work (identified or identifiable)
✗ Teaching materials, lecture or teaching notes, slides, recordings, third‑party licensed teaching content
✗ Assessment items, briefs, marking guides, rubrics, and feedback
✗ Unpublished research, ethics documents, and grant proposals
✗ Contracts, budgets, HR docs, internal strategy or policy drafts
✗ Any data covered by confidentiality, copyright, or third-party agreements (this includes any learning content you have created as part of your role at JCU)
Note that lecture slides/recordings are protected/proprietary and must remain within JCU systems.
🦺 Safer workflows (“assistance” without the risk)
✓ Abstract the prompt: Describe the task and context, not the document (e.g., “Create a 5-step tutorial outline on [topic] for 2nd-year undergrads”).
✓ Use dummy data: Replace names, numbers, and cases with placeholders.
✓ Work inside JCU tools first: Draft with Copilot (signed-in) or LearnJCU AI, then optionally polish language in a public tool without pasting internal content.
✓ Opt-out of training where possible: Prefer enterprise/education plans.
✓ Human in the loop: Check accuracy, bias, accessibility (UDL/CAST), and alignment with subject learning outcomes.
1) Prescribed Tools (safe inside JCU ecosystem)
Primary Use
Drafting, summarising, brainstorming, and code help. A great tool for content creation.
Access & Data Handling
Enterprise tenant. Prompts & files stay within the JCU/Microsoft 365 boundary when you’re signed in with JCU credentials.
Risk Level
Low
Smart Use at JCU
- Always sign in with @my.jcu.edu.au / @jcu.edu.au.
- Don’t paste restricted data into the public copilot.microsoft.com when not signed in.
Primary Use
Simulate human-like conversations using AI.
Access & Data Handling
Runs inside LearnJCU (Anthology)—content governed by JCU tenancy/policies.
Risk Level
Low
Smart Use at JCU
Design subject-focused conversation scenarios for students with specific characters related to the subject.
Primary Use
Supports subject site setup, suggests content structures, and helps generate outlines & rubrics.
Access & Data Handling
Integrated into Anthology LearnJCU under JCU’s enterprise tenancy. Data handled in accordance with JCU policies; no external sharing.
Risk Level
Low
Smart Use at JCU
- Safe to use for scaffolding subject sites, assessment shells, and rubrics.
- Always review outputs for accuracy, accessibility, and alignment with subject learning outcomes.
- Don’t copy student submissions or confidential policy documents into prompts.
Primary Use
Image creation, video editing, design, and text effects.
Access & Data Handling
Accessed via JCU’s enterprise Adobe licence. Content is processed and stored under Adobe’s enterprise terms, with stronger protections than free/public accounts.
Risk Level
Low–Medium (safer than public versions, but cloud-based processing still applies)
Smart Use at JCU
- Use only with your JCU login.
- Safe for creating teaching visuals, banners, and course content.
- Avoid uploading unpublished research, identifiable student work, or sensitive internal strategy documents.
- Always export and store finals in JCU-approved storage (OneDrive / SharePoint).
2) General LLMs for content generation (use with caution)
Primary Use
Research assistance, summarising, and building knowledge bases from uploaded documents.
Data Handling
Runs on Google’s cloud infrastructure. Uploaded documents and prompts may be stored/analysed per Google’s policies. Not part of JCU’s enterprise tenancy, so data is treated as public.
Risk Level
Medium-High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Fast answers with citations; good for literature scans.
Data Handling
Queries may be processed on public infrastructure; uploads can be logged; training opt-outs vary by plan.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Ideation, outlines, drafts; code help.
Data Handling
Public models; content may be used to improve services unless training is disabled, and you select the temporary chat option to generate information.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Careful reasoning, long-doc analysis.
Data Handling
Public service unless on an enterprise plan; training/retention policies apply.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Multimodal reasoning, image understanding.
Data Handling
Public service unless on enterprise; uploads may be stored/used per policy.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Editing, reorganising notes, task briefs.
Data Handling
Lives in your Notion workspace; external processing may occur.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Polishing, tone, grammar, and citations help.
Data Handling
Cloud processing; docs may be retained per settings.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Paraphrasing, summarising.
Data Handling
Public processing; potential retention.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Multi-model access hub.
Data Handling
Relays to third-party models; logging possible.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Treat like a public forum
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Quick web-mode answers.
Data Handling
Outside JCU tenant; prompts handled as public traffic.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Only use signed-in enterprise Copilot for any work-related content.
Primary Use
Image generation.
Data Handling
Public image service; prompts/images may be retained.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Generate original teaching visuals from generic prompts
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
3) Media creation (podcast & video) — powerful, but be very selective with uploads
Primary Use
Generates podcast scripts, drafts, and audio/video explainers from uploaded notes or documents.
Data Handling
Cloud-based service under Google policies. Uploaded material and generated media may be retained/analysed. Not part of JCU’s enterprise tenancy.
Risk Level
Medium-High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Script assists, shorts, captions, clips.
Data Handling
Public Google services; uploads may be analysed/retained per policy..
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Always human-check for accuracy and tone
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Video editing, AI b-roll, text-to-video.
Data Handling
Cloud processing; training/retention depends on the plan.
Risk Level
Medium-High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Always human-check for accuracy and tone
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
- Export finals only
Primary Use
Audio editing, transcripts, overdub.
Data Handling
Cloud transcripts; voice cloning requires extra care.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Do not upload meetings or student voices without consent.
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Great for podcasts from non-sensitive audio
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Voice generation/cloning.
Data Handling
Voice data stored; cloning is sensitive.
Risk Level
High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Use stock voices for non-sensitive promos
- Never clone a person (incl. yourself) without explicit written consent
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Meeting transcription.
Data Handling
Cloud storage of audio/transcripts.
Risk Level
Medium-High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- Only transcribe with all-party consent and no sensitive information
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Use stock voices for non-sensitive promos
- Never clone a person (incl. yourself) without explicit written consent
- Open-access articles, personal notes, or non-sensitive material
- Abstract prompts that do not include identifiable or restricted information
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Social/video, graphics, captions.
Data Handling
Cloud creation; assets stored in Canva.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Fine for generic visuals
- Generate original teaching visuals from generic prompts
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Images, text effects, design.
Data Handling
Trained on licensed data; cloud processing.
Risk Level
Medium
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- Avoid uploading restricted images
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Fine for generic visuals
- Generate original teaching visuals from generic prompts
Good practice:
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
High-quality images.
Data Handling
Prompts and images are public by default on Discord.
Risk Level
High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- Avoid uploading restricted images
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Fine for generic visuals
- Treat as a public space
- Generate original teaching visuals from generic prompts
Good practice:
- Use for concept art only
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Avatar-based presenter videos.
Data Handling
Cloud; avatar assets retained.
Risk Level
High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- Avoid uploading restricted images
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Use sparingly for outward-facing micro-explainers
- Do not use avatars to deliver core lectures
- Generate original teaching visuals from generic prompts
Good practice:
- Use for concept art only
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Primary Use
Avatar videos and dubbing.
Data Handling
Cloud; avatar assets retained.
Risk Level
High
Smart Use at JCU
Do not upload:
- Avoid uploading restricted images
- JCU documents or teaching materials (e.g. lecture slides, recordings, teaching notes created as part of your employment)
- Materials containing third-party licensed content
- Assessment materials (items, solutions, rubrics, or feedback)
- Student work or data
- Unpublished research
Use appropriately:
- Fun for experimentation, but do not replace yourself with an avatar in teaching.
- Do not use avatars to deliver core lectures
- Generate original teaching visuals from generic prompts
Good practice:
- Use for concept art only
- Use only open or non-sensitive inputs
- Store and manage any outputs within JCU systems
- Use AI tools to discover sources, then read the original materials
- Toggle “do not train” settings where available
- Verify claims before citing or reusing content
Education Design Support
Need help? Quick consults, sample Process Logs, viva prompts, moderation packs (internal).