Guidelines for members of administrative staff
Guidelines for members of administrative staff
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) offer a growing number of concrete ways to modernize, drive innovation, and simplify everyday work activities. Although AI systems have the potential to make some tasks easier, they cannot replace your expertise, judgment, sensitivity, and knowledge of the University’s values. The human dimension remains essential in the workplace and must remain central to your interactions.
To that end, using AI systems calls for a responsible approach based on the principles of care, respect, and inclusion. It must also follow the applicable regulatory framework. These guidelines are designed to help you use AI systems systems in an informed, ethical, and secure way.
Explore and learn about AI systems systems
Follow the developments in AI systems systems by participating in training courses offered by the University on this subject to improve your literacy. This training will help you develop new skills, deepen your knowledge, and adopt best practices for using AI systems systems in the workplace.
Think critically
AI systems are an excellent way to build on your ideas or find a solution, but they must not replace your expertise. Think critically about the answers these tools provide, as they may be inaccurate, biased, or inappropriate for the context. Take care to evaluate the accuracy and relevance of the information to get the most out of AI systems and avoid using or spreading erroneous information.
Be cautious
To protect confidentiality, do not enter, copy, or upload personal information or confidential Université Laval data into an AI system. The regulation on the responsible use of information technology of the University must be followed. If you are using works that are protected by copyright, make sure to comply with the Copyright Act and its exceptions or get authorization from the rights holders.
Demonstrate integrity and transparency
To avoid confusion and take a responsible approach to AI systems, be transparent when using it. Cite the source of the works you upload and mention which tools were used to achieve the result. Here is an example of an appropriate statement: “This text was written using a conversational agent, then revised and adapted (model used, query date).”
Prioritize on ethical and inclusive use
AI systems can amplify certain social biases. Think critically about the answers you receive, identifying stereotypes and correcting errors that go against best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Consider environmental impact
Some AI systems consume a lot of energy and increase to the carbon footprint. Given that, it is best to use a search engine when the information is easily accessible. Before using an AI system, ask yourself whether it will really add value. Opt for digital sobriety!
Resources and recommendations regarding AI and administration
Generative AI tools in action: practical advice
Generative AI tools can support you in your administrative tasks by providing additional resources to simplify certain steps, improve flow and clarity in your tasks, and allow you to focus on higher value-added activities that require your expertise and professional judgment.
For example, these tools can be used to:
- Assist you in writing reports, emails, presentations, and other documents
- Facilitate the analysis and synthesis of data for the purpose of report summaries, information extraction, formula generation, table creation or decision support
- Obtain suggestions for translating or adapting a text or document to the desired style and tone
Using generative AI tools responsibly
There are simple steps you can take when using generative AI tools at work to make sure your activities remain secure and compliant with guiding principles for administrative staff.
Finance
Risky
Thomas, a financial analyst, wants to summarize a report. He copies and pastes sensitive data (sales figures, forecasts) into an online generative AI tool to create a quick summary.
Risk: Confidential information can be stored and exploited, jeopardizing information security.
Secure
Thomas uses a tool approved by Université Laval and fictitious figures to obtain a summary. He then integrates the real data into his final document.
Result: Summarization is optimized without exposing strategic information.
Human resources
Risky
Julie, a human resources consultant, drafts a disciplinary notice. She copies and pastes all the person’s confidential information (first and last name, incident, measures) into an online generative AI tool to improve the wording.
Risk: The tool could store or exploit this sensitive personal information, violating privacy rules and exposing the University to legal risks.
Secure
Julie uses a tool approved by the University and does not include any confidential information. Instead, she replaces sensitive data with fictitious information and manually checks the content before uploading it.
Result: The notice is written efficiently without compromising employee privacy.
Copyright
Risky
Marc, a marketing copywriter, needs to summarize a book for a blog post. To save time, he copies and pastes several pages from the copyrighted book into a free online generative AI tool to obtain a quick summary.
Risk: The uploaded text is the property of its author, and reproducing it, even in another form, may constitute copyright infringement. The University is exposed to legal risks if content generated by the tool is released without authorization.
Secure
Marc writes a summary in his own words without copying the text of the book. It can be based on official sources, such as a summary provided by the publisher. He also checks that his article respects copyright before publishing.
Result: The article is original, legal, and bears no legal risk.
Training and resources
Training offered by the Office of the Vice Rector, Human Resources and Finances
The Office of the Vice Rector, Human Resources and Finance offers evolving French-language training on artificial intelligence. Through this training, you can gain a general understanding of how AI works, learn how to use it responsibly, and explore the practical issues to consider when applying it to administrative tasks.
- Introduction à l’IA, entrer dans la boîte noire: démystifier le fonctionnement de l’IA (PDF, in French only)
- Rédiger avec l’IA générative: avantages, limites et impacts en milieu de travail (PDF, in French only)
- Planifier son projet en intelligence artificielle: étapes clés et financement (in French only), FSA ULaval
The training schedule is available on the ULaval staff intranet, under Formation et perfectionnement > Calendrier des formations for your employment category.
Copyright and responsible use
Definition and vocabulary
- Video – L’intelligence artificielle générative (in French only), Teaching and Support Service
- Abécédaire de l’IA (in French only), Obvia
- Une intelligence artificielle bien réelle: les termes de l’IA (in French only), Quebec Office of the French Language
Specific guidelines
In accordance with the directive issued by the Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique, it is forbidden to use DeepSeek for administrative activities until further notice due to information security risks.
Questions?
If you have questions about the guidelines and changing practices for using AI systems and generative AI in higher education, you can reach out to the service centers or the administrative consulting team lead for AI adoption.
Contact the lead team at comite.ia@vrit.ulaval.ca.