At the University of Eastern Finland, you may use artificial intelligence (AI) to support your learning. However, there are rules related to the use of AI that you need to be aware of. This page provides a summary of what you need to know. You can read the university’s full AI policy on the Intranet (UEF login required).
Always remember: you are responsible for the content and quality of your own work, even if you have used AI as an aid.
Key points
- Unless your teacher has specifically prohibited the use of AI in an assignment, you may use AI to support your learning. Always state in writing which AI application you used and how you used it.
- If you use AI against your teacher’s instructions or fail to disclose its use, this will be treated as academic fraud.
- The university recommends using Copilot, which you can find in the waffle menu after logging in with your UEF credentials.
- Do not use your UEF email address when registering for AI applications outside the university.
What is meant by AI and the university’s Copilot
In this context, AI refers specifically to generative artificial intelligence based on large language models, such as ChatGPT and Copilot. Generative AI add-ons integrated into other software are also covered by these guidelines. However, tools such as the spell checker in Word are not considered AI applications in this context.
The University provides you with Microsoft Copilot Enterprise. You can access Copilot through the waffle menu after logging in with your UEF Microsoft account. Please note that this refers specifically to Copilot accessed through your UEF login — not other applications known by the Copilot name. Copilot is available to students aged 18 or over.
Other AI applications
You may also use other AI applications in your studies. In this case, you are personally responsible for:
- checking the application’s terms of use and how the data you enter is used, and
- complying with legislation when using the application.
Never use your UEF email address or your UEF username and password combination when logging in to AI applications outside the university.
Your teacher may only require you to use AI applications that are free of charge for you. Your teacher also cannot require you to create a user account for an AI application that contains your personal data (such as an email address or contact details that can be linked to you).
How to use AI in your courses
As a general rule, you may use AI to support your learning and coursework. However, your teacher may prohibit the use of AI on a course or in a specific assignment if using AI would compromise the achievement of the learning outcomes. Your teacher will communicate any prohibition or more detailed instructions in writing, for example:
- in the course description
- in the course’s learning environment (e.g. eLearn Moodle)
- by email
- in the instructions for a specific assignment
Your teacher may also provide guidance on how AI can be used for purposes such as brainstorming, information retrieval, proofreading, stylistic editing or translation.
Always disclose your use of AI
Whenever you use a generative AI application in producing your coursework, you must always state in writing which application you used and how. This applies to all types of coursework: learning assignments, essays, examinations and other completions.
If you use AI in a course or assignment where its use is prohibited, or if you fail to disclose your use of AI, this will be treated as academic fraud. The use of AI may be investigated using, for example, plagiarism detection software or random checks.
If suspected AI-related fraud is identified, the teacher will first assess the nature of the fraud: its extent, whether it was intentional, whether it was repeated, and whether it was premeditated. Depending on the nature of the fraud, the teacher will either:
- provide you with guidance on the use of AI, or
- refer the matter to the faculty dean for disciplinary action. Possible sanctions include a written notice, a written warning or a fixed-term suspension.
The University’s full academic fraud procedure is described in Kamu.
Faculties, units or independent institutes (such as the Language Centre) may issue supplementary guidelines on the use of AI in their teaching.
AI in your thesis
You may use AI to support your thesis work, but you cannot produce your entire thesis using an AI application. Your thesis must contain a sufficient amount of independent work to meet the learning outcomes. The sufficiency of your independent contribution is assessed as part of the thesis examination process.
When you use AI in your thesis, state in writing which application you used and how.
In particular, pay attention to:
- copyright regulations
- personal data processing regulations
- regulations and university guidelines concerning confidential information
The sections on research in the AI policy apply to theses where relevant. You can read them on the Intranet (login required). More information about the use of AI in your thesis in Kamu.
You cannot use AI in the maturity test. Your faculty and department will provide more detailed instructions on completing the maturity test.
You are responsible for content produced with the help of AI
When you produce material with the help of AI, you are responsible for the content, including its accuracy. AI can produce incorrect or fabricated information (so-called hallucinations). The University is not responsible for the content, reliability or ethical implications of material generated by an AI application.
Do not use AI to produce material whose accuracy you are unable to verify yourself. As the user of AI, you are always responsible for its use and for assessing its reliability and ethical implications.
Copyright and usage rights
AI must not be named as the author of a text or any other output.
When using AI applications, pay attention to the following:
The terms of use for AI applications vary. Make sure that the terms of the AI application you are using permit the use of the generated material in the way you intend. Some applications may, for example, require a concurrent license to the results produced by AI.
Copyright in a work created using an AI application (e.g. an image, text, video or audio recording, or composition) does not always belong to you as the user. For a work to receive copyright protection, your human contribution must be evident in the final result.
Do not input material into an AI application if you do not have:
- the copyright, or
- permission from the copyright holder to use the material in an AI application.
The copyright in source material always remains with the original author. Make sure you hold the copyright or have permission to use the material before inputting it into an AI application — unless the work is publicly and freely available without restrictions. This applies in particular to academic texts, teaching materials, imaging data and images such as paintings and photographs.
Processing personal data in AI applications
Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
Do not input material containing personal data into an AI application unless the university has a contract in place that covers the terms for processing personal data with the application in question (for example, Copilot accessed through your UEF Microsoft account).
In particular, if you are working on a thesis and your data contains personal data that you wish to analyse using an AI application, you must first carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). The assessment is carried out on a case-by-case basis according to the intended use. In addition, you must always inform data subjects (for example, research participants) about the processing of their personal data using AI.
Handling confidential information
Do not input confidential information into AI applications outside the university.
You may input confidential information into Copilot when you access it through your UEF login (UEF Microsoft account). The same applies to other AI applications and their add-ons that have been centrally purchased through UEF Digital Services.
Examples of confidential material include:
- research plans and research data (e.g. interview transcripts)
- student coursework (e.g. learning assignments, essays, examination answers, learning diaries)
- background material for research
Confidential materials are defined in detail in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999, Section 24).
Sustainability and responsibility
Please note that using AI consumes significantly more energy than a standard web search. For example, an AI-powered search can use up to ten times more energy than a traditional search engine query. Use AI considerately and be mindful of the University’s sustainability and responsibility goals.