Executive Summary
The AI Taskforce (AITF) at UWM was launched in March 2024 at the behest of executive leadership with the intent of delivering a set of AI services to campus which could significantly enhance our mission. This action was taken in response to a growing number of early adopters throughout the institution who were not waiting for these services to be established by the University. This condition greatly elevated the potential exposure of sensitive data to unknown AI systems complicating opportunities to maximize the impact of these technologies while minimizing risk. To feasibly achieve this goal, the AITF sought to broadly deliver a select collection of AI services shaped by practices to guide adoption, promote safe and responsible use, and avoid undesirable consequences.
This taskforce was composed of six workgroups. The first four were focused on maximizing impact upon teaching and learning, research, student success, and business operations. The remaining two were centered on identifying the AI technology infrastructure and talent required to deliver this impact and practices which provide guidance for safe and responsible use of these technologies. Each of these workgroups were chaired by leaders within their respective fields. Membership included subject matter expertise which spanned the campus who in turn engaged peers throughout the University to support their work. Collectively, the AITF consisted of greater than 50 faculty, staff, and students from across the institution to contribute their perspectives and expertise. This work was also informed by numerous discussions with like minded universities around the country, several national professional organizations and consortiums, and select vendors with commercially viable AI services within the market.
This report summarizes the culmination of this work representing more than a year of extensive efforts by membership of this taskforce. These activities resulted in the development of the following outcomes sought by our charter:
- Greater than 50 use cases which could be enabled by AI technologies to greatly enhance
- Campus capabilities and human experiences
- Investments in AI technology and talent required to produce these outcomes
- Guidelines and practices which inform our investments in AI technologies while promoting safe and responsible use
- Recognition that AI expertise resides throughout the institution and the recommendation for creating a partnership amongst campus organizations to unite and leverage this talent to help deliver responsible outcomes from AI
- Governance to guide the future of the campus AI portfolio and responsible practices to inform safe use as this technology continues to rapidly evolve
- AI literacy required to create awareness of these technologies and promote responsible use amongst those who seek to leverage them
It is important to note that members of the Taskforce well understood the weight of the guidance provided here to shape the AI technologies to adopt and how these are responsibly used to elevate our mission. We believe these recommendations promote balance between the innovation we seek and the wisdom to leverage AI in responsible ways. This will be key to maximizing value.
Data Security and Privacy Key Outcomes
To deliver the impact of the use cases cited by the taskforce, an initial recommendation was drafted for a set of AI services that were foundational to producing these outcomes. To promote safety drawing from the recommendations of the Taskforce, we identified products which prevent data exposed or created during use from training the underlying AI language model. Further, we sought certifications from each vendor to provide effective protections for high-risk data including Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) covered data. This capability allows FERPA content to be safely exposed within these environments without violating privacy practices and federal law. Due to financial constraints, this proposal was narrowed in scope to align with Return on Investment (ROI) projections which specifically focused on improving retention, boosting enrollment, and amplifying research outcomes. Upon assessment by executive leadership, this proposal was awarded non-recurring FY26 funding from a fund source designed to catalyze promising innovation at UWM.